Out of the ashes
by Storm racer
Summary: Strobe is a femme Autobot who stumbled across some information she has to get to Optimus Prime during the civil war but ends up in a laboratory on earth instead. How does she cope with the loss of those she knew on Cybertron? OCXOptimus Prime. Spoilers!
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer; **Transformers don't belong to me or any human characters in this story don't belong to me except for Strobe and Beth.

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><p>Prologue<p>

The fight of their life.

Strobe was an eighteent foot Autobot, she was jade green in colour except for her arms and legs which were black. She was loyal to the Autobot cause, Jazz, her team and Optimus Prime. The femme worked hard on Jazz's team to gather intelligence from the Decepticons in whatever way she could. The saboteur knew her ways were not always orthodox but he turned a blind eye to that. The cons wouldn't think twice about torturing an Autobot. She was also on the Decepticon's most wanted list but she was never caught by them which earned her the nickname of slippery fish in Cybertronian. Most Decepticons avoided being caught by her, her methods of extracting information from informants were something even Soundwave himself would be proud of using.

Strobe stumbled across a sinister plan between Megatron and Sentinel Prime and needed to get to Optimus Prime as quickly as possible. She took some data pads from the Decepticon base as evidence and raced back to her shuttle. The femme spy had to be quick so she activated her hover jets and sped through the streets of Diacon. Above her the war was raging and she kept having to swerve to avoid the hits from incoming missiles. Behind her were Decepticons who realised who she was and went in pursuit after her.

Her radar picked up a Decepticon border control, "_That's strange," _she thought, "_It wasn't there yesterday."_ It was in her way and she needed to get through it if she was to reach Iacon safely. Strobe activated her battle computer and waited for it to provide a solution,

"Anytime now," she growled.

Finally her solution to getting past border control came and Strobe activated the systems needed to take the evasive action. Boosted power rockets emerged from her feet and she flew above the border control shooting the guards in the process, before flying on to her shuttle which was hidden amongst wreckage from the civil war. The shuttle was activated only by Strobe's signature ad when she neared it the doors opened automatically. Strobe jumped into the seat and interacted with the shuttle, the engine whirred and she was gone before any Decepticon could register what she'd done.

Strobe flew across the expanse between the Decepticon base and Iacon but she was attacked on the way knocking her shuttle off its trajectory and hitting the ship's main power supply. Bolts of electricity moved through the ships power cables and overloaded the femme's systems knocking out her navigation system and putting her into stasis. The shuttle was floated through universe upon universe until it eventually crash landed on earth.

The jade green and black femme was now locked in a human laboratory somewhere on earth, she'd been there for quite some time but she had no reference point so it was hard to tell for how long. She was suspended from the ceiling held by cuffs attached to her wrist and ankles; it was a way for the humans to control her should she try anything, which up to this point was not necessary.

When the humans powered up the cuffs they inadvertently brought her back online. Strobe watched the reports on her HUD as her systems came back online except her navigation system which was still offline. That didn't worry her much but what really worried her was the lack of energon running through her systems. If she didn't have some soon she'd go into stasis and eventually die. The Autobot femme looked around the room, she noticed she was in some sort of a box with the metal cuffs wrapped around her wrists and ankles. It was quiet in the box apart from the hum of machines and the bleep of a monitor which was reading her spark pulse and cpu activity. Outside of the box were several desks and machines, one of which was attached to the box where strobe was. The femme could feel probes attached to her chest and head, she shook her head to try to get the probes off but they were firmly fixed in place. Strobe struggled against the cuffs wrapped around her wrists and ankles but that only electrocuted her further damaging her systems and overloading her spark. Strobe felt it pulsating rapidly and wished she was in the safety of Ratchet's med bay.

A man sat at a consul in the lab where she was being held, he looked at his screen but it wasn't showing any activity coming from her through the connections they'd placed on her cpu. He looked at her and then at the screen in front of him, there was a single green line moving across the screen suggesting there was no activity from her. He fiddled with some knobs and switches not realising that he was giving the femme access to earth's languages and other vital information she would find useful,

"What are you?" he said as he looked up at Strobe, "Are you friend or foe?"

A blond man in his mid fifties with a weathered tanned face and thick rimmed rectangle spectacles walked in,

"Anything yet?" he asked,

"No sir, nothing" the analyst replied

"Hmmm have you tried to communicate with it?" the blonde man replied,

"No sir," the young man replied.

The blond man walked closer to the box, "Who...are...you?" he asked slowly.

Strobe glared at him menacingly, "I understand you, don't you insult me _insect," _she spat.

The blond man wasn't expecting the response in English and jumped back with shock. The coffee in his mug spilling over the side and onto the cuffs of his new white shirt. The younger man's fingers frantically flying across the keyboard to catch the signals coming from her cpu.

A news flash came up on the T V screen behind them showing devastation in Chicago. The older man looked at the screen, "What the…" he said as he moved toward the t.v. The younger man turned around and looked at the screen, he saw the images of battling robots on the screen and then looked back at Strobe. The femme was also looking at the screen, she instantly recognised Bumblebee and it resonated within her spark causing the lines across the computer screen to react and spike. The computer bleeped which took the younger man's attention from the screen. He rushed up to the screen,

"Uhm…sir?" he said uncertainly.

The older man walked up behind the young analyst and saw the spike's. Strobe started to get frantic and pulled against her restraints, whining and growling. Alarms were going off everywhere and the whole system was beginning to destabilise,

"What's happening?" screamed the young analyst as he frantically tried to bring everything back under control,

"I don't know," the blond man replied.

Strobe continued to fight against the cuffs which were starting to arc and smoke,

"I've got to get out, they need my help. _Strobe to Optimus Prime do you read?"_

The spike's turned into blue and pink fuzzy lines and the signals went through the roof,

"It's communicating," the younger man said,

"Stop the signal," the blond replied,

"How do I do that?"

"I don't know! Do what you can, kill it!" screamed the blond man.

He raced to a lever on a consul on the front desk and yanked it down. A surge of power made its way through the wires connected to the cuffs. Strobe shuttered her optics and concentrated her spark energy so that she glowed blue, the electric current hit the force field she'd produced and moved back through the wiring overloading the system. Strobe's cuffs released and an explosion destroyed the box she was held in. She was free. She fell from where she was suspended, rolled and towered above the two men, her blue optics glared at them menacingly. They backed away and then ran to the door. The younger man tried to key in the code to open the door but he was not quick enough. Strobe picked him up and held him tightly, she saw fear in his hazel eyes and he was shaking,

"Please don't hurt me," he begged, "I have a wife and two childre,,"

Strobe looked at him with understanding, an image of sparklings running around Cybertron in peace time just before the war entered her processors. Ever so gently she put the younger man down and went after the older blond man. The young analyst fainted in the spot. Strobe pinned the older man into a corner,

"You wanted to kill me," she growled, "For that I should kill you, but I won't. I'm Autobot and sworn not to harm anything sentient, besides you insignificant insect I have more pressing things to deal with,"

The blond man stared at her, wondering how she managed to learn their language in such a short amount of time. Guards burst through the door and fired rounds at her, the femme stopped and turned around,

"No don't, let her go," the blond haired man yelled.

She accessed her battle computer and aimed her weapons at the guards,

"I'd listen to him if I were you, I can cause you more damage then you can cause me,"

Strobe blasted a hole in the wall, sending a cloud of rubble and dust over the guards and activating the alarms,

"Warning security breach shut down commences in five four three two one seconds," an emotionless female voice said.

Heavy security doors closed shutting the humans into separate compartments. Strobe looked back and waved her hands dismissively before walking out into bright warm sunshine. She looked around at the various vehicles parked in the car park, her optics falling upon an SUV Nissan. A ray shot out of Strobe's optic and an identical vehicle in jade green sped away.

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><p>Beth slowly came around under the remains of the aircraft which crash landed with her in it, her head was pounding and her whole body ached. She looked up and saw the lifeless body of the pilot hanging above her, she coughed and moaned as pain grabbed her rib cage and moved through her body. Beth felt her limbs to see if they were trapped, they weren't but she did have a wet patch on her left thigh and when she lifted her hand there was blood on her fingers. Almost immediately her body registered the injury and her leg started to throb. Beth could hear the sounds of the battle still raging around her and she could hear a whir of transforming gears nearby but it was hard to tell if it was a Decepticon or Autobot. She didn't have a chance to register much more as fuzzy blackness closed in on her again.<p>

Beth was a new recruit to the NEST base and took to the Autobots like she'd known them for most of her life. She'd only been with them for two weeks when Sentinel Prime arrived and once again NEST was thrown into a cataclysmic battle to save the earth from devastation. The smell of aviation fuel flooded the young soldier's nostrils as she came back into consciousness. Her brain registered the danger she was in and adrenalin surged through her body preparing her fight or flight instinct,

"Got to get out of here," she rasped as she looked around for something to hold onto so that she could haul herself out of the aircraft.

Hanging above her was a piece wreckage, Beth yanked at it to see if it would take her weight, her rib cage complained at the movement causing the young soldier to suck in air through her teeth. She could hear the sound of metal groaning and stopped for a brief second holding her breath, that's when she noticed the noises from the battle had ended. Beth once again grabbed hold of the wreckage and ignoring the pain she slowly hauled herself up and out through the hole in the fuselage caused by an explosion from Starscream and other Decepticons.

She welcomed the sight of sunlight as her chocolate brown eyes squinted, before they got used to the light. She looked around, the carnage was devastating and she wondered how many people had survived. Her question was soon answered when a human crawled out of a wrecked building, his clothes torn, stained and dirty and his face ashen.

He saw Beth trying to crawl out of the wreckage and immediately ran over to help her,

"Are you okay soldier?" he asked,

She looked at him grateful that somebody could help her, "Yeah, help me out of this please sir," she replied.

He was a young man of approximately 24 with red hair which was dirty and blood stained from a gash across his scalp, he wore a wedding ring which looked fairly new; Beth assumed he'd recently become married. He placed his hands under her arms and hauled her out of the plane. Beth let out a strangled cry as the wreckage gave way and allowed her to escape,

"Where is the rest of your unit?" he asked,

"I don't know," she replied, "I need to find them,"

"I've seen them," another voice called out, "We'll get you to them,"

They looked in the direction of the other voice and saw a middle aged man standing there with thinning grey hair. He was quite plump and dressed in jeans, a torn shirt and cowboy boots. He climbed the wreckage and supported Beth from the other side. The two men helped Beth to get to Major Lennox who was now walking toward the Autobots. The first man to help her saw Optimus Prime, he let out a strangled cry and let her go to ran away as fast as he could. She yelped as her leg took her weight but buckled under her. The second man who'd come to help her looked behind him,

"What are you doing? They're the good guys," he yelled,

"I don't know that," the younger man yelled back,

Beth looked at the older man strangely, "You're very trusting," she said, he just shrugged,

"Got to trust somebody," he replied matter of factly,

Beth was a Christian woman, brought up in a Christian family, and smiled at him when he said that. Her family freaked when they found out she was joining the army. Beth and the gentleman who she found out was named Simon walked as far as they could towards the huddle of humans and Autobots who were preparing to leave. In front of them was a mangled heap of cars and wrecked buildings which Simon knew Beth would never be able to clamber over. He sat Beth down on a car,

"What's your Officer's name?" he asked,

"Major Lennox," she replied and winced as his movement jogged a vehicle she was resting against,

He crouched in front of her concern written all over his face, "Ooohhhh sorry," and stood up, "Oi, Major Lennox, we need your help,"

William and Robert turned around at the cry for help. Simon looked down at Beth again, "What's your name,"

"Beth Amersham, Private Beth Amersham,"

"I have a Private Beth Amersham here, she's in need of help,"

Major Lennox, Robert Epps and Sam raced over to Simon. Will looked down at Beth, her face was ashen and she was grimacing with pain at every breath. Will turned around,

"Medic," he yelled.

A brunette man raced toward Beth and crouched down, "Alright soldier," he said as he produced a syringe and injected morphine into her arm. He then started to work on her leg to curb the bleeding. Beth felt the pain subside and then come back in waves, each pain free period lasting longer than the last. Will was kneeled beside her and noticed she was fighting to stay awake, he took her hand,

"Let go Amersham," he said gently, "You're in safe hands,"

Ratchet walked up to the small group of humans standing over Beth. The medic looked at Will,

"She's ready to be moved," he said,

"I'll take her back to the NEST base," Ratchet offered as he transformed into his vehicle mode.

Beth was loaded into the back of Ratchet while Wheeljack was loaded into Prime's trailer and the human and alien convoy left Chicago for NEST.

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><p>Charlotte sat at the desk in the command centre and buried her head in her hands. This was very messy and she had a lot of explaining to do. Simmons wheeled himself up to her and patted her shoulder, she looked up at him and smiled.<p>

The ex sector seven agent couldn't offer any words of comfort, he knew only too well what it meant to be wrong in this instance and how deadly this foe was. Charlotte and Simmons left the Kennedy space centre together and Seymour wheeled up to the awaiting vehicle. Dutch opened the door and helped Seymour into the vehicle, much to his resentment. Charlotte watched as Simmons belted himself in, maybe Dutch wasn't much company but at least Seymour had someone to speak to. Charlotte was going back to an empty house with nobody and she wasn't looking forward to it. Dutch looked across at Charlotte,

"Vere are you going?" he asked,

"I'm going home," she replied,

"Jump in, I'll take you," he said,

"No, it's okay thanks," Charlotte replied nervously and smiled briefly, "My car is over there,"

The director of National Intelligence looked around her, the sun was shining brightly deceiving the near devastation that took place over the last forty eight hours. She got in her car and drove along the freeway which would take her home. As she drove along the leafy street a familiar black Mustang was sat in front of her house. She drove into the drive and stopped the engine. Simmons was pushed up to her door and he opened it,

"I thought you might appreciate some company and someone to talk to," Charlotte smiled again and looked down.

The familiar tune on her mobile phone rang and when she looked down the number was withheld. Right now Charlotte didn't want to deal with anymore people of any kind, just a middle aged man who'd offered her friendship so she switched her phone off not knowing it was the blond man who wanted to alert her to a another potential problem which involved an alien femme Autobot who had escaped.

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><p>Strobe continued to head towards Chicago, there was a massive battle there between Decepticons and Autobots so she assumed that was the first place to go to in her search for Optimus Prime. A warning message crossed her HUD; energon levels dangerously low. Shut down imminent. Strobe switched on an emergency beacon which could only be heard on the Autobot frequency. She stopped in a layby and tried once more to get through to Optimus Prime before she went into stasis and then hid in a densely wooded area as one by one she shut down unneeded systems so that she could preserve the remainder of her energon.<p>

Optimus Prime was laying quietly on the berth while Ratchet repaired his shoulder and prepared it for the replacement of his arm,

"How is the female soldier?" Prime asked him,

"The human medical team are operating on her now," he replied without looking up at him,

Optimus Prime cycled air through his vents, he knew the medic's mind was on other things. Ratchet always took it hard when they lost a friend, the burden almost got too hard for him to bear,

"There was nothing you could've done for him," Prime said quietly,

"I know," Ratchet replied, "But it doesn't stop the pain, I've lost two very good friends today and I need to grieve their loss,"

"I understand my friend," Optimus replied warmly.

Ratchet suddenly stopped what he was doing, a red flashing light had shown up on his HUD. A red flashing light which told him an Autobot was in trouble..but who? All Autobots dead and alive were accounted for. He looked around at Optimus Prime whose optics were dimmed,

"Prime have you just received a transmission,"

"I have," he replied, "From Strobe,"

Ratchet turned around, "Strobe? Wasn't she…,"

"One of Jazz's informants? I don't know, Jazz never told me. Question is where is she?"

"I have an emergency beacon flashing on my HUD, it could be from her and she could be in trouble because it's on the Autobot emergency frequency. Optimus we need to find her before the Decepticons or humans do,"

"And so we shall," Prime replied with resolve.

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><p>This is the end of the prologue to my new story. The chapters will be longer. I hope you enjoy it.<p> 


	2. Chapter 2

Warning spoilers in this chapter so if you haven't seen Transformers 3 yet don't read on. I am sorry for not mentioning about the spoilers in my summary or before the prologue.

Here is chapter1, sorry it took a while I wrote the chapter once but didn't like it so I rewrote it. I decided to give the two men from the prologue names because they are playing a pivotal role in this chapter. Hope you enjoy it!

**Disclaimer; I don'town any of the transformer merchandise or characters except for David, Strobe, Beth and Aiden Amersham who are my OC's. **

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><p>Chapter 1<p>

The hunt.

Aiden Amersham was exhausted by the time he got home; he wasn't prepared for the news he'd just received regarding his sister, Beth which added to the stress he was under. He reached for a glass and a small bottle of sparkling water and sat at the table massaging his forehead with his fingers. They had been separated as children when their mother left them on the door of an orphanage after their father had died and their mother had remarried. They were adopted out to separate families but kept in contact with each other secretly. Now Beth was missing in Chicago.

He couldn't tell his wife about what happened at work because he worked for an organisation who were operating illegally and that frustrated him. He dreaded the thought of going in the next day and facing the manager of the organisation, and there would have to be an investigation and a cover up, which would mean a massive hunt for the robot. Aiden ran his fingers through his brown curly hair and shuddered at the thought. He didn't want to come face to face with that thing again especially in the woods, if that was where it went. His wife knew something was bothering him, and when the children were in bed she made a coffee and sat at the table with him hoping he would say something, but neither of them said anything. A little later the young man went to bed early and drifted into a restless sleep.

Strobe was lost, cold and wet from the dew and a heavy mist was hanging in the air bringing an eerie silence into the forests on the Virginian mountains. She rested where she was a bit longer and remained on constant alert; the Autobot femme had no idea Megatron, Barricade or Starscream were dead nor Sentinel Prime and she expected one of them to jump out of the mist any minute. Strobe hoped that somebody was receiving her signal and she'd soon be out of this dreadful situation, in the mean time she had no other choice except to sit tight and wait for them to come. The Autobot spy thought about the events that took place yesterday and wondered if it was prudent to let them live, she couldn't believe how vicious such a tiny species could be and resented their very existance. Strobe was low on energon but she had to get to the Autobots as quickly as possible so she onlined her systems and watched as data crossed her HUD revealing the extent of the damage. It was better news then she thought and decided to carry on with her journey.

It was five o'clock in the morning when Aiden finally gave up on having any more sleep, the escaped robot and his sister were playing heavily on his mind. He stumbled downstairs and into the kitchen where he fixed himself up a coffee. Millie, their two year old Labrador retriever trotted into the kitchen and sat next to her master. He looked down at her, smiled and patted her on the head,

"We'll go for a walk soon, Millie," he said gently.

Aiden and Millie pulled up into the car park at the woods just down the road from their house. The grass was wet from the dew and the first leaves of Autumn to fall on the ground were slippery. Millie waited for Aiden to lock the doors of their pick up, her tail wagging excitedly and followed him into the woods. Every now and then she would trot off the path and disappear into the mist but she'd always come back again. Aiden walked through the woods slowly, his hands tucked into the pockets of his denim jacket, his head hang low. It was very quiet in the forest, almost an eerie silence as if the flora and fauna were waiting for the storm to break. At times Aiden felt like somebody was watching him, he just put it down to the surreal events of yesterday but when Millie behaved in an unusual manner for her he was a little more worried. In the distance he could just make out the silhouette of a vehicle, a jade green and black vehicle. He stopped in his tracks...what was a vehicle doing out here? Millie looked up at him, the whites of her eyes showing and whined. Aiden patted her on the head,

"Easy girl," he said gently, more for himself than her.

The young man wondered what he should do, maybe somebody was lost and needed guiding out of the woods onto a road, maybe it was somebody waiting for some unsuspecting early morning walker to attack them and rob them or maybe...no...surely it couldn't be that thing which escaped. Aiden reluctantly moved forward, warning bells ringing in his ears. He walked up to the vehicle reprimanding himself for being so stupid, its engine was ticking over adding to Aiden's fear. He rubbed the dew off the glass to see if anybody was inside the vehicle,

"Hello, anybody in there?" he called, "Are you okay?"

"Go away!" Strobe's feminine voice hissed roughly.

To hear a car talking was the last thing he expected and he took a step backwards in fright, tripped over a stone jutting out of the ground and fell into a muddy puddle. He lifted his hands out of the mud, hung them beside him and shook the mud off. Mille barked ferociously at the vehicle and then looked at Aiden. The stunned man stood up and put a lead on the dog,

"Let's go, Millie," he said, Aiden turned to the car, "I don't know who or what you are but you look suspicious here so if you don't want to be discovered I suggest you move away, this path will get busy soon"

Strobe pulled away, she felt a little guilty for scaring the man, but he was involved in her imprisonment and she didn't want to see the squirmy little human again, he was untrustworthy. Aiden couldn't get himself to his car quick enough, his heart was pounding as he checked over his shoulder every now and again to see if it was still there, his heart jumped into his mouth when he discovered it had disappeared, and he quickened his pace. The path seemed to twist and turn only to reveal more trees, his feet would not go quick enough and he had to stop frequently for Millie who had disappeared off the path. Aiden was relieved to see the car park with his pick up parked where he left it.

Aiden looked toward the path he'd just come from, rays of sunlight were shining through the mist, spot lighting the forest flowers in warm sunlight. He opened the door to his truck and allowed Millie to jump in before running around the other side and getting in himself and tearing out of the car park. His wife was feeding their baby and he startled both of them as he burst through the door. The baby looked around, voiced her protest and went back to her feed,

"Are you alright?" she asked,

"Fine," he said as he walked to the bathroom to take a shower and try to calm down.

Strobe took off along the path in the opposite direction to Aiden as quick as she could, which wasn't that quick at all due to the slippery ground under her wheels. She heard the sound of gun shots,

"Now what!" she growled out loud, a deer which was grazing looked up and watched her for a while and then went back to grazing near its mother.

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><p>The Autobots ascended from the underground floor of NEST where they had laid the fallen Autobots. Bumblebee turned around when he realized that his leader wasn't following him,<p>

"Optimus," he called gently.

Prime looked at his new second in command, his optics full of grief for the best friend who had died in such a horrific manner,

"I'll be up in an orn," he just about managed to croak.

Bumblebee respectfully left Prime and walked up the tiny stairs slowly, his head hang low, his wings drooping. A green arm wrapped itself around his shoulder and pulled him into the chest of the medic. Optimus Prime walked up to where the remains of his best friend lay, he fell to his knees and let his head fall onto the berth where Ironhide was laying. No more would they be fighting side by side, no more would they share conversations in his office about the good ol days on Cybertron. It was gone! All he had were shattered dreams and a broken spark as company. Optimus could no longer hold the emotion in, warm tears flowed down his face as he leaned against Ironhide's berth and cried. Ratchet could hear Optimus Prime, he discreetly closed the door so that the Autobot leader could be left to grieve in peace.

The Autobots had put the last few bits together at the base from the destruction caused by Sentinel Prime, they had now settled into their posts but everybody both Cybertronian and human alike were struggling with the empty spaces and holes in their hearts and sparks. Ratchet looked around the NEST base, there were memories of Ironhide everywhere. The old bracket which was left on the floor from where it had fallen was still there; the medic smiled and shook his head, the old weapons specialist never was any good at coming to him for regular maintenance. Optimus Prime appeared from the undergound level and looked around at the Autobots, they needed something to give them hope because at the moment there wasn't much hope at all. Ratchet looked at Optimus,

"Prime, what about Strobe?"

"We will rescue her," Optimus replied silently,

Will looked up at Prime, "Who is Strobe?" he asked,

"She's an Autobot femme who went missing at the beginning of the civil war, she has just turned up on earth," Prime replied,

Ratchet stepped forward, "The trouble is we don't have an exact location on her and she has activated her emergency beacon,"

Mirage looked up at Optimus hopefully, "Are we talking about Strobe who…?"

"Yes we are Mirage," Prime replied,

"Well count me in on the rescue mission, I knew Strobe very well she was great to work with,"

"We will help you locate your friend on the energon detection," Will replied,

"Thank you Major William Lennox," Prime replied.

Suddenly an air of excitement blew through the base, most of the mechs in NEST knew Strobe except possibly the wreckers. Bumblebee looked at Mirage, "I'll come with you," he said,

"Good idea Bumblebee, two are better than one," Mirage replied,

"Two are better than one for what?" a female's cold voice called out. The comm. link on every Autobot pinged,

**"I'll deal with her," **Prime said.

He turned around and faced Charlotte who was now walking along the catwalk on the back wall,

"I do not like that woman," Robert growled, "And I never will,"

William looked at her wondering how she was going to get to the Autobots this time. It was always the same, she comes in, says her piece and leaves with Wiliam cleaning the mess. Optimus Prime walked up to the catwalk, he saw Simmons standing next to her and nodded at him,

"Charlotte Mearing we have received an emergency beacon from an Autobot femme who appeared on earth,"

"What do you mean appeared on earth and what is a femme?" she asked,

"A femme is a female Autobot and we don't know when she arrived on earth or how long she has been here for," Optimus Prime replied.

Charlotte stood there glaring at him coldly, this was not what she wanted to hear, "Optimus Prime I would expect you to have a better handle on which Autobots are arriving and where they are landing. If Autobots are going to start arriving willy nilly then I will have to seriously consider your right to live on this planet,"

"I wouldn't have said that," Simmons hissed in her ear,"

Optimus lowered himself so that Charlotte's face was inches from his, "You may want to remember Miss. Mearing," Prime retorted, "That we have left planet earth before and we can leave again if we have to. But mark my words the Decepticon threat may not be over," he stood up straight with his hands on his hips,

Ratchet stepped forward, "Miss Mearing may I remind you that we saved your planet from destruction on three occasions," he snipped

Charlotte looked at him, "And may I remind you that you are here by invitation only,"

William glared at her, this was beginning to turn ugly. Ratchet was about to say something else but Prime signalled with his hand to calm down. The medic stood where he was with his arms crossed over his massive chest,

"We are making preparations now to rescue her, I have two Autobots ready to go ahead of us to find her," Optimus said.

Charlotte turned her glare upon William and then she turned back to Optimus. She looked at him silently for a moment, "Fine then," she replied sharply and turned back to William, "You go with them and I want a report of everything that is happening. There is to be no further damage to civilisation of any sort and now other human contact. The less people now about you the better,"

"Oh I think the cat's already out of the bag with that one," Sideswipe snarled,"

"Yeah ages ago," Skids snipped.

"I mean it!" Charlotte replied in a deathly tone and left.

* * *

><p>Aiden made his way into work, he drove through the heavy rush hour traffic his mind on the Autobot who'd escaped and his brush with her in the woods. He parked his car at the back of the car park and got out. The gaping hole left by the robot was now being filled in but he could still make out movement inside and it looked like a hive of activity. He walked into the command area where they were holding Strobe and up to David, who was talking with some soldiers,<p>

"I want nothing left unturned," the blond man barked, "We have to find it and remember this mission is to be kept under wraps,"

"Yes sir, we'll do everything we can to find it,"

"What's going on?" Aiden asked David,

"Aiden, how are you?" David asked, "We're hunting for that robot and bringing it back,"

"What if it won't come back?" He asked fearing the next answer,

"We'll kill it!" David snarled sadistically.

Aiden's heart sank, "I think we should think about this carefully," he said,

"Oh do you now?" David snarled,

"Yes I do," Aiden replied, "I believe she has something to do with Chicago, I don't know what but if we kill this thing that's out there we could cause more trouble if anybody finds out,"

"Well nobody is going to find out, are they Aiden?" David replied angrily, he narrowed his eyes, "Remember what happened to the last person who crossed me," he warned.

"Daid let's think this through that is all I'm saying, it's better than what we're doing now, we're acting on knee jerk," Aiden implored his boss desperately,

"Is that so," David sneered sarcasm dripping off every word, "Hey everybody Aiden here thinks we're acting on knee jerk," everybody looked at him.

David walked out of the command area with another man, while he was out a friend of Aiden's approached him, "I think you're right," he said, "But be careful, that man has lost his marbles, he's dangerous," Aiden looked at him, he'd need help to stop this from happening but who?

Aiden went back to David, "I'm having nothing to do with this," he said.

David placed the last round into his rifle, "You're too late, you're involved right up to your neck. You know too much and I will not let you leave here alive if it comes to that,"

Aiden looked at David, his stomach was in knot and his heart pounding in his chest. He looked around at the men gearing up for the hunt, "Whatever that thing was it never harmed us," Aiden yelled,

"It threatened us!" David yelled back stabbing his finger in the air toward Aiden, "It's dangerous look at what happened in Chicago,"

"I know what happened in Chicago David, my sister was there and now she's missing," Aiden yelled back,

"Then that's all the more reason to do this, it's revenge my friend," David said as he patted Aiden's shoulder,

"I'm not after revenge, I just want to make sure we do things right," he said quietly,

Aiden turned on his heels and walked out of the building, behind him he heard a rifle click, "Go any further Aiden and I'll shoot you," David yelled hostilely,

Aiden paused for a minute and then walked on his eyes closed waiting to here the rifle go off...but it never did,

"Dave, we're ready," a deep voice yelled across the room sending the man into a flurry of action.

"Okay, men. Is everybody clear on what we have to do?"

"Yes sir," they all replied and then they piled out of the building and into waiting vehicles.

Aiden walked back to his pick up and unlocked the door. David pulled up in a humvee, "If you leave you will lose your job,"

"Then I'll send in my resignation," the young man retorted and tore out of the car park.

He pulled up outside his house, his three year old came running down the path with her arms open wide, "Daddy," she cried,

"Hello darling," Aiden said as he lifted his daughter up. His wife stood at the front door puzzled with his early arrival. Aiden walked up to her and kissed her on the cheek,

"Honey I have to go to Chicago to try and find my sister," he said as he strode up the stairs missing every second step, "There was some trouble at work, I need you to take the kids and stay with your mother,"

"What happened?" his wife asked,

"I can't tell you," he replied,

"But...,"

"Don't argue," he snapped, her face fell and a frown formed on her forehead,

"Are you in some kind of trouble," she asked,

"Yes...no..., look just leave and stay with your parents. Promise me you'll do that. I will contact you when it is safer," he said as he hugged her, she played wit his tightly curled hair, on the back of his head,

Alright," she relied reluctantly, "If it means that much to you,"

"Yes it does," he replied quickly as he headed downstairs again,

"Mummy what's happening," their three year old asked but the question went unheard.

On his way out his mobile phone rang,

"Mr. Aiden Amersham?" a voice asked on the other end,

"Yes," he replied,

"My name is Lieutenant colonel William Lennox and I'm ringing you up on Beth's request. She is in hospital in a stable condition," Aiden let out a sigh of relief,

"Alright, thank you for letting me know," he replied and picked up a pen and paper, "Yes okay. Great thanks. I'm on my way now,"

"Who was that?" his wife asked,

"A Lieutenant Lennox, Beth is in a hospital in Washington. Somebody is going to meet me at the airport and take me to see her,"

"Okay be careful," his wife replied as she kissed him and watched him leave before packing her own bags and the children and leaving.

* * *

><p>Strobe had driven a fair distance but she could feel her energy diminishing rapidly. The words of the human as he was fleeing from her rang through her processors and she looked for a place to hide which would make her blend in with the surroundings a bit more. At each turn she made she was met with more of the leafy road snaking its way through the countryside antagonizing the femme's frustration; she was beginning to really despise this planet and wondered what Optimus Prime saw in it. The inhabitants were violent, the environment was claustrophobic and she was alone. Finally the femme came across a car park with more vehicles parked in it, <em>Perfect!" <em>the femme thought to herself, she pulled into the car park and drove into the last parking space between two smaller cars. She shut down her unwanted systems again keeping her signature on and her emergency beacon going in the hope that her rescuers were on their way.

In the distance she could hear the sound of dogs barking and men yelling or calling out to each other arousing the jade green femme's curiosity. The men crept through the trees slowly in pairs looking around for evidence of the robot being there. It was getting warm and one pair stopped so that one of them could take a swig of cold water from his flask. The sunlight was shining through the leaves and dancing on the ground as they walked. He looked at his partner,

"This is a waste of time, if it's an alien from another planet it's probably long gone,"

"I know," the other one replied, "If you ask me Aiden was right,"

"You don't want to let David hear you say that, the man's a bit passionate about this and won't let anybody get in his way. We'd better keep going,"

Reluctantly they carried on through the woods, one of them spotted a car park, "Let's go down there," one of them said,

"Oh and what are we going to say, hey people have you seen an eighteen foot robot walking through here?" the other one replied sarcastically.

There was a rustle in the undergrowth, "Ssshh!" the first one said and aimed his rifle at the direction he thought it was coming from. A fox trotted out from the undergrowth on her way back to her den, the two men lowered their rifles and continued down the hill toward the car park. They looked at every vehicle in the car park without being too suspicious. One of the men noticed the jade green and black Nissan SUV tucked in a corner and walked toward it. Strobe heard the footsteps approaching her, her HUD showed symbols of the humans being there and she hoped they were owners to one of the vehicles on either side of her. One of them walked around her dragging his fingers along her side, it felt warm to touch but that was nothing unusual, it was in full sunlight. Strobe fell back on her experience as a Cybertronian spy, she remembered how Mirage taught her how to be stealthy and remained quiet as the men continued to look her over. He saw the strange symbol on her radiator grille,

"Hey look at this," the man called out to her partner as he ran his fingers over her symbol, Strobe cringed with disgust at the feel of his sweaty fingers on her body,

"What you got?" the other one asked as he took big strides toward her,

"What do you make of this?" the man walked around to where his partner was standing and studied the symbol, he shrugged,

"Probably some gimmicky thing that's in vogue at the moment. It's just a regular vehicle," he looked around, his eyes squinting in the sunlight, "There's nothing here let's keep going,"

If Strobe were human she'd have heaved a sigh of relief, that was too close for comfort; the femme couldn't leave the car park there was too much human activity, and to drive out driverless would bring attention to herself; especially as they were now looking for her. She'd have to wait until evening when all was quiet before she moved again.

Optimus Prime stood near the group of humans and Autobots who were on their way to find Strobe. Mirage knew her better than any of the others and he knew she'd push herself to the limit. Prime suggested Ratchet should go as well as he was receiving the emergency beacon which would give them some idea of the direction to go in. The convoy left NEST in the dead of night and drove through the streets, in the direction Ratchet was going in.

* * *

><p>Aiden arrived in Washington and he was greeted by Dutch who was standing in arrivals with a placard with Aiden's name on it. Aiden headed straight toward the middle aged man,<p>

"Hello, are you Dutch?" he asked with his hand out,

"Yes, are you Aiden Amersham? Vhere vould you like to go to? Zhe ospital to see your sister?" Aiden had trouble understanding the accent,

"Yes please," he replied eagerly.

Dutch drove through the streets of Washington while Aiden took in the sights. He wondered if his wife had left the house and tried to ring her,

_"Hello, you've reached Aiden and Sara..." _he quickly hang up and put his phone away. He thought about ringing her on her mobile but not here, not now. He looked out of the window again, the sun was shining brightly and th sky was a crystal blue with fluffy white clouds floating across the blue expanse. The trees gently blew in the breeze which was refreshing. The window was down on the black SUV, and Aiden's arm was rested on the door, his curly hair was dancing in the wind. Aiden felt himself relax for the first time in hours and the problems of the robot and David felt a long way off.

"Good flight?" Dutch asked,

Aiden turned to him, "Yes it was thanks...thanks for meeting me and taking me to Beth,"

"No vorries," Dutch replied.

He pulled up under the foyer of the hospital and dropped Aiden off, he put the car in gear and then turned to the young man,

"Ving me vhen you need picking up, ere's my number,"

Aiden bent down and looked at Dutch, "Thanks," he said.

He walked up to the reception desk, behind it sat a plump elderly woman who Aiden assumed would be late sixties. She looked very prim and proper in a white polyester blouse and hair which looked like she'd just come out of the hairdresser. She looked at him over her glasses,

"Can I help you love?" she asked in a dulcet tone,

"Uhm...yeah...I'm looking for Beth Amersham, I'm her brother," she took in the young man who was holding a laptop in one hand and a bag hanging off his shoulder. His curly hair looked a little unruly and a deep brown color matching his chocolate brown eyes.

"It looks like you've just got off a plane," Aiden smiled, "She's in room 111, just along this corridor here," the old woman smiled,

"Thanks," Aiden replied and walked toward her room.

Beth was sitting against a pile of pillows, her brown curly hair still matted with dried blood and her face bruised or stitched. Her left hand was attached to a drip and her right hand was laying across her belly. She heard the sound of somebody walking in and opened her eyes,

"Hi," she just about managed to croak,

"Hi Beth how are you," Aiden asked as he leaned over her to kiss her on the cheek,

"Been better," she replied, "The doctor said I was lucky to escape,"

He held her right hand, "It was terrible Aiden, so much devastation and carnage, loads of people were killed," she cried, "I've never seen anything like it,"

"Ssshhh," Aiden said, "I saw some of it on the news, Beth you're going to be fine," he tried to reassure her as he wiped the tears from her face.

Aiden looked around the room, it was the usual cream colored walls with an apricot colored blind which was rolled down to keep the sun off Beth. All the usual equipment you'd expect to see in a hospital was behind her bed and her name was written on a white board with the doctor's name underneath it. He pulled up a chair and sat next to his sister,

"Are they looking after you okay?" he asked her,

"Yes," she sniveled.

On the table above her bed was a box of tissues, he pulled one out and handed it to her, "Sorry," she said, "I'm not much fun at the moment"

Aiden shrugged, "It's okay," he replied quietly and looked down at the floor.

Beth looked around at him, she noticed his quiet demeanor and wondered what was wrong. Even though they were twins their personalities were so different; he was noisy and always in for a bit of fun whereas Beth was more serious and tended to keep to herself a bit. The first time she'd met the Autobots Sideswipe had taken it on as his duty to bring her out of her shell, and it seemed to be working,

"Where are you staying?" she asked,

"I saw a hotel back up the road, I was going to book in there,"

"You can stay in my place," she said, "I have an apartment just down the road,"

"Thanks Beth," he said,

She smiled and lay back on the pillows, "Listen, thanks for coming," she said,

Aiden hesitated a moment, she looked at him, "Aiden," she said, "Are you okay? You seem a little quiet,"

Aiden didn't want to bother her with his problems, he could sort it out himself, "Nothing," he replied, "I'm just tired,"

Beth looked at him, "Liar," she pushed, "You're in trouble,"

Aiden looked at her, "Not now Beth," he begged, "Not when your like this,"

"Aiden," Beth said quietly, "Remember when we were younger and separated, we promised each other we'd be there no matter what. Aiden you've always been there for me, look you're here now, now let me help you,"

Aiden sighed as his thoughts went back to David and Strobe. He looked up at Beth, "I am not in trouble but there is something troubling me and it is bizarre and crazy and I don't know who can help,"

"Try me," Beth replied,

"No Beth if I tell you then you'l be in trouble too,"

"Aiden," Beth said, " I can look after myself, if you're in trouble I know people who can help you somehow,"

A nurse walked in, "Beth needs some rest now sir," she said as she picked up Beth's chart from the bottom of her bed.

"Okay, I'll see you tomorrow," he said as he kissed her goodbye,

"Remember what I said," Beth said, "Oh and in that drawer are the keys to my apartment,"

Aiden took the keys on the keys out of the drawer and left her room. He didn't realize which keyring he was holding until he got to her front door. He looked at the small yellow rectangular keyring with a scripture reference for Proverbs 3: 5-6 written across it in black. Aiden smiled she had such a strong faith, much stronger than his and he envied her for it.

Beth's apartment was everything Aiden expected it to be; neat, organised and airy. The walls were a cream color with cornflour blue curtains and furnishings, it was a studio lounge with two bedrooms, a bathroom and a laundry coming off from the main living area. She had a veranda which had two outdoor chairs and a small table tcked in a corner and bamboo lanterns. Aiden stepped out onto the veranda, he looked down at the traffic and people busy going about their business. In between two roofs he could make out the white dome of the White house which stood out against the color of the early evening sky. Aiden walked back inside nad noticed a picture of himself and Beth on the wall as young children, neither were smiling but they didn't have much to smile about in those days. The young man took a glass from the cupboard and went to the fridge for an ice cold bottle of sparkling spring water and walked back out onto the veranda to enjoy the view a little more. He leaned on the wall of the veranda and ran his hand through his curly brown hair, it had been quite a day. Aiden wondered what his wife was doing, she didn't know he didn't have a job anymore, and that was how he wanted it for now. The less she knew the safer she'd be.

His mobile rang out a cheerful tune, Aiden went to answer it,

"Allo Aiden, vhere are you? Do you need to be picked up?" Dutch asked,

"No, I'm at my sister's apartment, she gave me the keys to get in,"

"Fine fine, ave you eaten?"

Now that Dutch suggested eating Aiden realized how hungry he was; he hadn't had anything to eat since he got off the plane, "No," he simply replied.

"Then my friend and I will bring some for you,"

"Thanks," Aiden replied again.

* * *

><p>It was late evening when the last car had left the car park, Strobe brought her systems online and followed the last vehicle out. She switched on the headlights and took offr through the woods again. Strobe wanted to push on all through the night, to get as far away from the humans hunting her as possible. She wasn't anticipating the severe thunderstorm building up and she hadn't checked her energon reserves lately. It was going to be a long and difficult night for the femme.<p>

Ratchet and the others continued the drive through the countryside. The light was decreasing rapidly now and the roads were getting clear, the Autobots didn't mind this at all it made their job easy. The medic noticed that the beacon had changed its last position and it was in actual fact moving toward them, "_That's right Strobe keep coming this way," _he thought to himself. The medic calculated the rendezvous with Strobe to be in approximately twelve hours, that is if everything went okay, experience told him that rescue missions never ran smooth.

The weather deteriorated overnight, heavy rain started to fall onto Strobe, she was getting tired again and her energy reserves were starting to run low. She couldn't hear the sound of the hunters anymore and assumed that they'd returned back to their base because of the weather. She needed to hide somewhere from the bad weather, and desperately searched the environment around her. Strobe was hoping to have been out of the forest by now but without her navigation system she was totally lost. A bolt of lightning struck nearby closely revealing an area of thick bush and trees ahead in its stark light. The femme raced toward it just as hail started to fall and crawled into the thick undergrowth where she watched the storm rumble on.

Optimus Prime sat in the main command area and waited to hear from Ratchet. Charlotte had opted to stay in the NEST base so that she could hear first hand any updates from William and Robert. There was a real element of mistrust between the blond woman and the Autobots who resented her choosing to stay there. With William and Robert gone the other humans that were there had very little to do with her and the Autobots carried on at their posts not really paying the National intelligence director any attention. Ratchet radioed Optimus,

"Any news?" he asked the medic,

"No sir, she's been on the move, but she's still now. We've stopped for a while, it is late, William and Robert need to rest, and bad weather has closed in,"

"Okay, keep me posted," Optimus replied,

"Will do, Prime. Ratchet out," Charlotte overheard the conversation and looked at Prime but he offered her no information it was a conversation between himself and Ratchet which she was not privy to.

The morning couldn't come quick enough for the Autobots and as soon as first light came they set off. Ratchet's main concern was for Strobe but he was also aware of the humans who were with him and would soon be needing refreshment from their day's travel yesterday. The Autobots weren't the only ones to set off bright and early, David had also left early and was back on the hunt for Strobe. Many of the men he'd taken with him were now beginning to wonder if they were on a wild goose chase but they weren't prepared to challenge David at all.

Strobe awoke from her recharge but she was weaker than she'd ever been since she'd escaped. The forest was still and quiet after the storm the night before and it smelled of wet vegetation. The early morning sunlight played on the drops of water hanging off the trees and they would tickle as they dropped onto her armor and run down her body. The jade green and black femme stayed where she was and drifted back into recharge. Meanwhile the hunters were closing in on her, and the Autobots weren't that far behind either. Ratchet checked for her beacon again, it was still going and she hadn't moved since last night, he stopped at a dirt track and turned onto it,

"Where are we going?" Bumblebee asked,

"The beacon is suggesting she's around here somewhere," Ratchet replied,

"Uhm...Bee," Will said a little uncertainly, "It looks a little muddy down here, you guys may want to consider your bi pedal modes so you don't get bogged,"

The Autobot convoy stopped transformed, awry smile appeared on Sideswipe's face as he thought of his brother's comments if he were to see what they were about to walk through. They slowly trudged through the wet vegetation, there was an incline with a wide path making it easier for the Autobots to walk along,

"Do we have to get up there?" Mirage asked,

"Yes," the medic replied,

"Well then let's get too it," Bumblebee replied.

In the meantime the two men who had found Strobe the day before had just reached the crest of the hill and they were making their way down the other side except this time they had a dog with them. The said dog, a hound was sniffing his way through the undergrowth and picked up a strange scent. He stayed on that scent moving faster,

"Quick," first man said, "He's onto something,"

The hound was approaching the place where Strobe was laying, and howled near the undergrowth. David looked up from his position and so did William and Robert,

"I thought I saw a sign back there which said "No hunting," Robert said,

"Yeah so did I," William replied, "Question is who is hunting and for what?"

They heard somebody talking on a two way radio, "Keep it there and be careful it is dangerous. It won't think twice about killing you,"

"Yes sir," the voice replied,

"I didn't like the sound of that one little bit," Robert said to William.

William turned to Ratchet, "I think you're femme is in trouble," he advised the medic.

"With who? I thought there were no Decepticons left,"

"Not Decepticons, humans," Robert snarled.

Strobe felt something prodding her in her chest, stirring her from her recharge,

"Gotcha!" a voice snarled at the femme.

She went to transform but one of the men who had never seen the Cybertronian before shot her knocking out her emergency beacon. Strobe looked at him, her sapphire optics glaring at them sadistically,

"You've made a big mistake," she rumbled deeply.

* * *

><p>Uh oh! Now what!<p>

Update coming soon.


	3. Chapter 3

Transformers and their merchandise do not belong to me. I have four oc's in this chapter and that is all.

Hi guys, thanks for reading, your reviews and putting my story on favorites and alerts.

* * *

><p>Chapter 2<p>

The trouble with humans.

One of the men looked at Simon out of the corner of his eye, he had had enough of this whole episode and wanted to go home. He had a farm to run,

"Okay we have caught it, now what do we do with it?" he snapped,

Simon looked at the man dressed in tight jeans, boots and a checkered short sleeved shirt, "Take it back, there must be no evidence of it ever being here,"

"I will never go back with you," Strobe snarled sadistically,

The men looked at her, some of them were becoming quite fearful of her by now and were wanting to turn and run the other way while others looked at her in pure awe,

"Amazing!" one of them said.

Simon looked at him, "Idiot!" he snarled, "Don't you know what those things are capable of? It could rip us into shreds, overtake our world. Who knows how many of those things are hanging around in the space waiting to invade us,"

"If you ask me he's lost the plot," somebody whispered to another man standing next to him,

"What if he's right," another replied,

"Yeah haven't any of you heard about Chicago? It was almost wiped off the map," a squatty fat man replied, "My Aunty lives there, she told me about mechanical beasts who were fighting and killing humans,

"My point exactly," Simon replied smugly, "Now whose in?"

One by one the men reluctantly gave their ascension, "My son has a tow truck, we could take it back in that,"

"Okay ring that person and we'll transport it back," Simon said.

The sixty year old man with a cowboy hat and a greying black beard, pulled his mobile out of his pocket and rang his son. He looked at Simon, snapped his phone shut, "He's on his way,"

Strobe looked down sadly, was this how it was supposed to end? Was she supposed to die on this planet? Alone! Surrounded by heartless organics. She hoped not but then one thing she learned while in captivity. Hope was futile!

Charlotte leaned on the wall just by the main entrance to the NEST base, she was unable to believe what was being said to her and hoped Optimus Prime didn't get wind of this until she could get it investigated. She bowed her head and pinched the bridge of her nose, things had suddenly gone from bad to worse and whoever these people were had caused human/Autobot relationships to become further strained,

"Alright," she sighed, "Wait for back up, we will get back to you as soon as we can,"

"With all due respect, Ma'am," William's short tempered voice replied over the mobile, "We do not have time to wait for you to send back up. We need a solution _now_ before these men get themselves killed," Ratchet heard William's raised tone, "_Typical!" _he thought to himself

"Okay, approach with caution, I will send back up," Charlotte snapped. The frustrated woman shut her phone and walked inside the base.,

William looked around at the Autobots who were looking toward the direction of the gun shot. Ratchet became increasingly irritable now that he no longer had the beacon flashing on his HUD, any hope of finding Strobe had diminished. He contacted Optimus,

"**Go ahead, Ratchet,"** Prime said,

"**We believe we are in the vicinity of Strobe but we heard a gun shot after which her beacon disappeared,"**

There was a moments silence after which he heard Prime's voice and he wasn't happy. Optimus looked around for Charlotte, she needed to know about this development much to his annoyance,

"Now where's she gone?" he muttered,

"**Prime?" **Ratchet asked,

"**Send Mirage to investigate but don't do anything to harm whoever shot her, it could be an innocent human who got scared by her,"**

"**Yes sir," **Ratchet replied and called Mirage.

Mirage was laying next to Bumblebee further along the path, they both had a vantage point where they could see what, if anything was going on. Bumblebee turned around and called for William and Robert to come forwards, Robert crept forward while William continued his conversation with Charlotte. He lay down next to Bumblebee and pulled out his binoculars.

The men were circled around a bush with their rifles aimed toward it, he couldn't make out what was inside the bush until he saw movement causing the men to re establish their aim,

"Don't move!" one of them yelled,

"Something is in that bush," Robert whispered,

"Yeah…Strobe," Bumblebee snarled.

Robert sighed and rested his head on his arms and lifted it up again. Mirage suddenly moved and walked back to Ratchet, by now William had hang up and he was walking toward the medic,

"Charlotte has asked us to approach cautiously and she has sent back up which is on its way," William said

"Thank you William"

The Lieutenant Colonel stayed with the medic and watched as Mirage approached them,

"You called me," he said,

Silence fell between the two mechs after which Mirage suddenly disappeared and ran off into the bushes. The vegetation parted as if it was alive and shimmered through the spy's invisible body,

"What's happening?" William asked the medic,

Ratchet looked down at the soldier, "He has gone to see what is happening and how Strobe is,"

Charlotte walked back into the main command center, a tense atmosphere descended upon the base as she walked up the stairs and sat down on a chair opposite the computer. The back up was on its way now and all the National Intelligence Director could do was wait until William contacted her again, she massaged her forehead with her hand; the blonde didn't realize how tired she was until she sat down. She received a call from her office which required her to go back, Charlotte got up and walked to the bars and watched the Autobots from her vantage point, they were talking quietly among themselves. Optimus Prime looked around, it was at times like this when he really felt the loss of those who had fallen and Ironhide was no exception,

"Optimus Prime," she said in her no nonsense tone. Prime looked toward Charlotte, "I have to go into my office," relief fell upon the base,

"Alright Miss. Mearing," he said and turned away,

"Are you alright?" Roadspin asked, Prime looked at him and nodded, "_Ironhide I could really do with you right now!" _ he thought to himself,

"We're with you all the way, Prime," he said,

"Yeah...all of us," Skids added.

Prime looked around at the Autobots with pride,

"Thank you Autobots," he said.

* * *

><p>Aiden made his way back to the hospital where Beth was staying. He was pleased to see her sitting up and looking a lot happier,<p>

"How are you?" he asked,

"Fine," she replied, "Doctor says I can go home if I have somebody at home staying with me,"

Aiden looked at her, "Well that's good news," he said as he kissed his sister lightly on the cheek,

"Nobody lives with me," she replied sadly,

"I can stay with you," Aiden offered,

"But what about your wife and children...and your job," Beth exclaimed,

"Beth," Aiden replied, "I don't have a job anymore and my wife and family are with her parents. It's safer for them,"

"Aiden what happened?" Beth asked seriously, "Tell me,"

"It's a long story, Beth, you wouldn't want to hear it," Aiden replied,

"Try me," she retorted angrily,

Aiden looked down, there was going to be no way out of this, Beth was very persistent and usually got what she wanted. He ran his hand through his freshly washed curly hair as he looked at her,

"I er…had a disagreement with my boss,"

"Oh?"

Beth looked at him surprised, Aiden always had a healthy respect for those above him, it was unlike him to have a disagreement with them,

"Yeah, it got kinda nasty and he pointed a rifle at me," Aiden replied continued quietly,

Beth looked at him, "Why?"

"Oh Beth, it's a real mess. I worked for this organisation who were holding this giant robotic creature. The thing is it escaped and now its being hunted…"

Beth sat there in stunned silence as she listened to her brother tell the whole story surrounding Strobe, her imprisonment and subsequent escape. When he stopped he felt so relieved and nearly burst into tears. Beth looked at him seriously,

"Aiden, you must not mention this to anybody else, you haven't have you?" she said quietly. Aiden vehemently shook his head, "Good," she replied, "Keep it like that. I know of somebody who can help you but you have to trust me on this. We can't talk about this here but I want you to ring this man who will help you. Make sure you do this Aiden before you get into deeper trouble than you're already in. Remember... trust me I do know what I'm doing," Beth looked at Aiden, smiled at him reassuringly and patted his hand as she said, "We'll get you out of this mess," Beth handed her William's number

Aiden looked at her sadly and then down at the number. He recognized it to be the same as the person who informed him of Beth, "I just have one question, it talks with a female voice…"

"I don't know, just promise me you'll ring this number," Beth insisted

"I promise," Aiden looked at her puzzled, "What he be able to do anyway?"

Beth laughed, "...Aiden...I asked you to trust me,"

"I do, Beth," he replied earnestly,

"Aiden, let's pray...you and me...right now. Well pray for your family and you" Beth took his hands and closed her eyes, Aiden lowered his head as Beth started to pray, a peace settled upon Aiden as she spoke her prayer, a peace he hadn't felt for a long time.

Mirage lowered his body so that he wouldn't disturb the trees and bring attention to himself, his movement was slow and stealthy being careful not to tread on any twigs which would crunch under his feet. Every now and then he'd hear rustling in the undergrowth so he stopped and stood still but the humans didn't seem to notice the movement or noise, "_Huh, probably too focused on the femme."_

The spy tried to communicate through his radio link to Strobe but she wasn't responding. A Cougar appeared from the undergrowth and saw the men standing, it lowered its body and slowly crept away from them under Mirage's crouched body. The spy watched it, any movement would sartle the feline, when it was gone he slowly crept closer to the small group of men who were now standing in full sunshine which was shining through an opening in the tree tops. He could see the jade green and black of Strobe's armour, her bright blue optics were looking straight at him.

Ratchet was further down the hill and waiting to hear from Mirage, he heard a ping come from the spy and answered it,

"**Go ahead, Mirage," **

"**I'm going to reveal myself to Strobe, I've tried to communicate with her but her communications system isn't picking me up,"**

"**What is your position?" **Ratchet asked,

"**I'm behind them, they don't know I'm here but I'd like you nearby for back up,"** Mirage heard the sound of the truck approaching in the distance, **"We'll have to be quick, the humans have back up coming,"**

Ratchet was in his element, this was what he was created for; he signalled to Bumblebee and Sideswipe to come with him, they lay in the undergrowth in a semi circle around the spy. Mirage moved around so that he was directly in Strobe's line of vision and his red body slowly materialised from thin air. Strobe saw him and instantly recognised him, he placed a finger against his mouth components to signal to the femme not to show any sign of him being there. A human saw her optics light up and looked behind him; the spy quickly disappeared into thin air,

"What's up?" another man asked him nrvously,

The man who turned around shrugged his shoulders, "Nothing," he lied.

Simon looked at the men standing there, they were beginning to get fidgety and restless, he put his two way radio to his mouth and spoke into it,

"Where are you?" he snapped,

"**I'm just coming up the hill, this ol girl is struggling with the heat and the hill," **the voice on the other end replied,

"Well hurry up, these guys are beginning to get spooked, whatever this thing is it appears to be communicating, it could get very messy here soon,"

"Oh very messy indeed," Sideswipe snarled silently.

A snake was silently slithering through the bush where Strobe was sitting, it hissed as it slithered over her leg; Strobe looked down at it and wondered what it was. She looked up at the humans in front of her, one of them had a phobia of snakes and he was beginning to shake. He accidentally let off a round which hit Strobe in the knee and jammed, she whined as the pain ricocheted through her leg.

Bumblebee looked toward the other Autobots, both of whom nodded their ascent, he radioed Prime and told him of the situation,

"**You may go in and rescue her but do not harm the humans, if necessary let William and Robert deal with them. Our main reason for this mission is to rescue Strobe and bring her back safely to NEST," **Optimus replied sagely**,**

"**Yes sir,"** Bumblebee replied.

The scout called Ratchet, Sideswipe, Robert and William together and to work out a plan. Ratchet was to make his way silently to Mirage while Bumblebee and William flanked them on the left and Sideswipe and Robert flanked them on the right. The idea then was for the two humans to provide distraction while Ratchet and Mirage rescued the femme.

Ratchet crept up behind the spy and gave him the game plan, and then they waited until they heard the signal from Bumblebee. The scout waited until he knew all were in place before giving the signal for William and Robert to start the process. A tense silence settled among the group, they didn't know how this was going to pan out or what the aftermath would be. William sent a quick text to Charlotte to let them know what they were doing,

"_I've sent back up, wait for it to arrive,"_ came the reply,

"_No time," _William counter argued and switched his phone off.

Bumblebee gave the signal and the two humans stood up, their weapons aimed at the humans,

"Back away," William yelled,

Simon and the others turned to look at him, "And who might you be?" Simon asked sarcastically,

"I'm Lieutenant Colonel William Lennox and I am ordering you to back away,"

Simon looked at Robert while he was getting his hand gun out of his holster, "And whose he…you're sidekick?" he asked sarcastically,

"He is my partner now back away from the Autobot" William answered in a firmer tone,

"Autobot?" Simon looked at the Cybertronian in the bush, "You mean that heap of junk?" Strobe narrowed her optics and growled at him, "No, it's my property and I'm about to kill it," he replied with a smirk,

The Autobots bristled as they listened to the conversation and had to fight to hold themselves back,

"And to think we saved insects like this," Mirage whispered contemptuously, "Pathetic!" he spat,

"Easy there," Ratchet soothed, "Not all of them are like this one,"

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," Robert replied, "She has very powerful friends,"

Simon looked at Strobe, "She? Are you suggesting this thing is a female?"

Robert sidled toward William all the time keeping his weapon aimed at Simon, "We're wasting time here, let's just pave the way for these big guys and get outta here,"

"Good idea," William replied, "Alright all of you back away from the Autobot now," he yelled as he walked toward the men guarding the femme,

"Don't you move men, I'm in charge here," Simon snapped at the soldiers,

"No you're not, not anymore," William retorted, "Bumblebee!"

Simon aimed his hand gun at William but dropped it when he saw Bumblebee stand up behind the men, his jaw dropped spontaneously,

"What the...?" one of the men said in awe.

Suddenly more of the automatons appeared, Simon turned around and looked at them all standing there,

"So it was true," he mumbled.

"These guys have weapons far more superior and powerful than yours or mine, unless you want to experience the full force of their fire power I suggest you all back away right now," William warned,

"You heard him men, back away,"

The hunters backed away from Strobe not taking their eyes off the four Autobots glaring at them. Sideswipe looked at Strobe and then turned to Bumblebee,

"They were hunting her down like an animal," he snarled.

Bumblebee glared at the men, normally he didn't mind the humans but he found this group to be vile and he could understand why Mirage had a disliking toward them. The Lieutenant looked at William and then at Ratchet,

"What shall we do with them?"

Ratchet looked at Bumblebee, he knew what he wanted to do but if they did that then they would be no better than the Decpeticons, besides which that would cause more damage to the human/Autobot relationships which was already on shaky ground,

"Let the humans deal with them," he replied, "We came to rescue Strobe,"

Strobe looked around at the Autobots and two humans who had come to her rescue. Her experience of humans had been one of malice and torture but these two and the one in the forest appeared to be different, however that didn't change anything she still believed them to be untrustworthy and malevolent. Who could blame her? For many joors she'd been imprisoned and tortured during their experiments.

Strobe was not an emotional femme, there were things that would touch her spark but she wouldn't show emotion; it was a way of deceiving the enemy. Many thought her to be cold and hard except for those who had the privilege of knowing her on a far deeper and more personal level, a network of friends who she would spend lots of time with her in her free time. One of whom was Jazz, she had a very close relationship with him; it wasn't sexual just purely platonic. Their relationship may have got more involved if the war hadn't broken out and Jazz wasn't called on the mission to find the Allspark, she was looking forward to meeting up with him again…and her brother…Ironhide!

Ratchet couldn't help but notice the relief on the femme's face as he knelt in front of her. He smiled at her but she could no longer maintain control as she fell onto him and burst into tears. The medic was full of compassion for the femme as he comforted her and spoke softly in Cybertronian. The humans looked on in wonder, it hadn't occured to them that this creature they were chasing may have been sentient,

"It's alright," he soothed, "You're safe now,"

Mirage had never seen her cry and she'd been in trickier situations than this. He felt compassion toward the femme and wondered what had happened for her to be upset like this. The spy walked up to her, wrapped his arms around her and comforted her while Ratchet checked her over. The green and white medic took a canister of high grade from his sub space. Strobe relished the feel of the high grade as it oozed through her systems, she felt it move through her body revitalising those parts which were dry and sluggish system. He used a pliar like instrument to pull the slug out from her knee and looked at it, damage had been done, it was minimal but could affect her ability to walk,

"Can you transform?" he asked her,

"Yes," she simply replied.

"Come then, let's get you home,"

Ratchet stood up and offered his hand to Strobe to help her up. She looked at him hopefully, "…Home…as in Cybertron?"

"No sweetspark, Cybertron is gone," Ratchet replied sadly.

The medic went quiet for a while, Cybertron died and took with it their hopes and dreams of ever returning to their home,

Strobe looked at the medic, "…But how…why?" she asked,

"It's a long story, we'll tell you when you're better," Ratchet looked at her, she wasn't in good health and he wondered if she was going to be able to manage the journey back, "We have a long journey ahead of us and many of your parts have been damaged…"

"…And I know by who!" Strobe interjected as she gave the group of humans an accusing stare.

The Autobots started to leave just as the sound of the back up arrived. Strobe fell as she took a step, Ratchet looked around and swore; the slug had caused more damage than he thought. Mirage and Bumblebee helped her up and supported her as they walked back toward the road. At last Strobe was among friends.

Simon looked at the men who were standing around looking at the Autobots who were leaving and the two soldiers standing in front of them. There was the sound of rustling bushes and men yelling, before they knew it Simon and the men were surrounded by more soldiers with their weapons pointed at them,

"What's going on?" Simon asked defensively,

"You're coming with us," William replied,

"Why? I haven't broken any law," Simon replied smugly as he looked around,

"That's what we have to find out," an English sounding man replied

"Look Simon, you have got to come with us," William walked up to the man with his weapon down by his side,

Simon reluctantly left with the rest of the men who accompanied him on the hunt for Strobe. Nothing was mentioned of where they would be going or what would happen to them. They drove for a short distance with the Autobots but then turned off to take a different direction.

* * *

><p>Beth lay in her hospital bed, she was itching to get home and spend more time with her brother. She hadn't seen him for a long time what with her starting her work with N.E.S.T and not really being able to talk about it; and Aiden getting involved with his family and life. They lived so far away from each other which meant they didn't see much of each other at all. Usually Christmas, thanksgiving and special family get togethers; the last one being her acceptance into the army.<p>

The doctor breezed into her room with a smile on his face and sat on the side of her bed. He was a tall man who was always smartly dressed with smart trousers, a shirt and a tie. His red hair was brushed back off his face and greying over the ears. He was clean shaven and wore a white coat with a stethoscope around his neck. He smiled at Beth as he walked into the room, the smile was genuine and emphasised the laugh lines around his eyes,

"Morning Beth," he said as he opened her file, "How are you feeling today?"

"I'm fine," Beth smiled back,

"Okay we're considering sending you home, is anybody there who can help you?"

"Yes my brother is here with me," Beth replied,

"Good," he said, "I just need to check your wounds.

The doctor gently unravelled the bandage on her leg, the bandage snagged on the stitches a little bit and stung as the doctor slowly peeled it away. She hissed through her teeth as she felt one pull a bit harder than the rest

"Sorry," the doctor said quietly.

Beth was sitting up so she looked down at her leg, there was a neat raised row of stitches holding together skin which still looked angry and raw. The doctor touched the stitches,

"Hmm…there's no sign of infection and they look dry. I'm satisfied with that," he started to wind the bandage back up again and then hesitated, "….I'm going to get a nurse to put a fresh bandage on that leg, can I just look at your ribs and your face,"

Beth lay down so that the doctor could feel around her rib cage,

"You've got a few good bruises," he said with a smile.

He gently prodded at her ribs, she winced a little bit and moaned as he squeezed at the bruised areas,

"Hmm…" he said as he opened her file and looked at her notes thoughtfully, "Are you sure you won't be alone because if I send you home you can't do anything except resting, physio and taking it easy,"

"My brother is staying there,"

"How long for?" he asked,

"As long as it takes for her to get better," Aiden replied as he walked in with Seymour and Dutch.

Beth looked at the two older men who she'd never really had the opportunity to meet,

"Hello beautiful," Aiden said and kissed Beth on the cheek, "How's my favourite sister?"

"Going home," Beth replied as she beamed up at her brother,

"Yes but I need to make sure you won't be alone," the doctor replied firmly,

"Oh I can reassure you she won't be alone," Simmons replied, "She has a lot of friends who won't allow her to be alone, including a certain medic who would take great care and interest in her,"

"I see," the doctor replied thoughtfully, "Well that settles it Beth Amersham I'm releasing you from this hospital but not to go back on duty,"

"Yes doctor," Beth replied.

The doctor walked out and two nurses walked in with a fresh bandage,

"Have you got any clothes here?" Aiden asked,

"No, only my army greens but I think they've gone,"

"I'll go and get some for you from your apartment,"

"Thanks," Beth replied,

"I'll take you zhere, while Seymour is in outpatients," Dutch replied and left with Beth's brother.

The younger nurse held the bandage while the older one instructed her on how to wind it up. She was a patient woman who would talk the younger woman through it and corrected any mistakes. Another woman poked her head around the door asking for help with another patient. The older nurse looked at her and tutted,

"I wish all the students were as confident as you dear," she said as she left in a flurry.

The younger nurse looked up at Beth pensively, Beth looked back at her and smiled reassuringly and then she spoke,

"You saw them didn't you," the younger nurse said, "You're so lucky…I wish I got to see them,"

"I'm sorry I don't know what you're talking about," Beth replied,

"Those big monsters, what was it like?"

"What?" Beth asked,

The nurse sat down and cried, "My mother and father were in Chicago on that day working. I haven't heard from them since,"

"Oh you poor girl," Beth replied as she stretched to get a tissue for the nurse, "I'm so sorry,"

"It's okay," the young nurse snivelled as she picked up the bandage again and continued with her job, "It's just the not knowing where they are or what happened to them,"

"I can't tell you anything," Beth replied, "Have you spoken to anybody else about this?"

The nurse shook her head, she didn't know anybody because she was new in town. The older nurse walked back in and pushed a black lock of hair which had escaped her tight bun. She saw the sadness on the young woman's face and asked if she was okay. The nurse burst into floods of tears again. The older woman tutted and pushed her away from the bed,

"Go and compose yourself young lady. I'll finish this off and then I'll come and speak to you,"

The older woman looked at Beth and shook her head, "She shouldn't be here, she should be with a family member right now,"

"It's very sad," Beth replied empathetically,

"Yes it is my dear, if you ask me they should send every one of those surviving monsters away or just kill them,"

Anger rose within Beth, she did everything to keep her mouth shut. Nobody was privy to the information she had but she wished she could just make this woman bandaging her leg realize it's because of these "_**monsters!"**_ that she's still alive today. Aiden rushed back in with Beth's clothes,

"Here I am Beth," he laid a pair of black cargo pants and a plain white 'shirt on her bed and sandals,

"Thanks Aiden," she snipped.

Aiden heard her change in mood, "Everything alright?" he asked,

"Peachy…real peachy…" she replied sarcastically, "…Not!…"

"Well I'll leave you to get changed," the nurse said and bustled outside.

The sound of raised voices could be heard through the corridor and somebody crying, "Oh dear," Beth said, she looked at Aiden who was sitting comfortably in a chair beside her bed, "Uhmm Aiden…as much as I love you and appreciate you being here I am a woman and desire some privacy while getting dressed,"

Aiden blushed causing Beth to burst into laughter, "I'm sorry," he said and respectfully walked outside to wait for her. He looked at the older nurse laying into the young woman,

"….Now pull yourself together and get Beth Amersham a wheelchair,"

"Yes…nurse…" the young woman sobbed.

A few minutes later she passed Aiden with the wheelchair and looked at him out of the corner of her eye,

"Are you okay?" he asked,

"Yeah," she replied.

Simmons had heard the commotion too on his way back, he followed the young nurse into the room,

"I heard the noise, are you okay?"

She shook her head, her ponytail swinging from side to side. Simmons stood there at a loss with what to do, Beth grabbed the young woman and hugged her, "You'll be okay," she said gently, "It doesn't seem like it now but you'll be okay,"

Simmons wrote a number on a piece of paper and handed it to the young woman,

"Ring this number," he said, "They can provide somebody to listen to you and give you help,"

"Thank you," the nurse sobbed as she neatly folded up the paper and placed it in her pocket. She looked at Beth and smiled,

"You're chariot awaits you ma'am," she smiled.

Everybody in the room burst into laughter as Beth hobbled into the wheelchair and Aiden wheeled her to Dutch's SUV.

Beth had an eye for the finest detail, she never liked a thing out of place and was very house proud. This was a trait which carried on into her work, no stone was ever left unturned. So when Beth arrived in her apartment, she wheeled around it and checked every room,

"I know what you're like about cleanliness, Beth," Aiden snipped, "I see you haven't changed much there," Beth just smiled.

"It's fine Aiden," she smiled, "I have relaxed on that a little bit,"

Beth hobbled to the veranda door and relished the sounds and smells of life outside the hospital ward. Aiden came out with two mugs of coffee, closely followed by Simmons who was now using crutches, he sat in the other seat on the other end of the veranda. Beth looked at Seymour,

"How's your leg?" she asked,

"On the mend," he replied as he looked at the view,

"Nice place," he said,

"Thanks," Beth replied with a smile.

* * *

><p>The Autobots were now at the side of the road, the daylight was going fast and the journey was going to be a long one. Not as long as Ratchet originally thought because Strobe had travelled some of the way alone, but still long nonetheless. The medic helped the femme to transform into her vehicle mode, her joints and parts were stiff from so long without energon but Ratchet hoped that she could get some of the way home. Mirage stayed right in front of her while Ratchet drove behind her and scanned her every so often. Strobe smiled,<p>

"You haven't changed much Hatchet," the medic revved his engine and lightly touched her bumper. Strobe laughed, she missed the sparring with the medic, he got so riled up by her.

The journey seemed to go on forever and Strobe was beginning to get tired. They had to make stops for William's and Robert's comfort and that made the journey even longer. While in the car park of one such stop Ratchet took the time to contact Optimus,

"**We're on our way home, Optimus,"**

"**Good, how is Strobe,"** Prime asked,

"**She is bearing up," **Ratchet replied.

William wondered back through the car park to where Bumblebee was sitting, on his way he passed a black pick up truck reminding him of Ironhide. The grief hurt so much. He reached the yellow camaro and rested an arm on top of the car as he looked back to the black pick up before getting into Bumblebee. The scout picked up on his mood,

"Is everything alright?" Lieutenant Colonel Lennox.

William looked at the Autobot symbol on the steering wheel,

"Yeah," he replied sadly.

Bumblebee pulled out of the car park silently, he didn't say anything, there was no need. Everybody knew the relationship the weapons specialist and William had carved out of adversity and now it was gone,

"We all miss him, William," Bumblebee said,

William looked out of the window, "It's crazy...I can't believe his gone,"

A tear escaped the corner of his eye, William quickly swept it away but his mind stubbornly refused to stop going over the scene which unfolded before him when Sentinel Prime betrayed them and shot Ironhide with his acid rust gun. He had no choice but to get Sam and the others to safety, he had to leave Ironhide to die alone. A blonde holoform appeared next to William with a sad expression on his face, he turned to the human and hugged him as he cried unshed tears,

"I left him...I left him to die alone. I should've gone to get Ratchet, I...,"

"William there was nothing we could do, we had no way of knowing that Sentinel Prime had betrayed us. It all happened so quickly,"

They drove further along the road both sharing in the pain of the death of a much loved friend and mentor. Memories of the weapons specialist flooded Bumblebee's processors, a sad moan escaped the mech as he continued driving in silence. Sideswipe heard the moan and moved next to the scout where he stayed until they got back to NEST.

William contacted Beth who had decided to go to bed early due to the pain of her rib cage and pain killers she was still taking. Beth always slept with her mobile phone next to her bed, she jumped and moaned at the onslaught of pain from the sudden movement,

"_Hello,"_ She moaned,

"Hi Beth are you okay?" William asked

"_Yea I was in bed, I'm at home with Aiden,"_

"Okay, I'm on my way home. I'll call in and see you tomorrow,"

"Say Hello to Beth from me," Bumblebee said,

"Bumblebee says hello," William said with a smile,

"_Hi Bee,"_ Beth called back sleepily,

"Is that my girl?" Sideswipe asked,

"Yes it is," Bee replied,

"How is she?"

"Sideswipe has asked how you are?"

"Yeah, fine...my ribs hurt a bit and I've still got stitches but the pain killers are helping and I'm home,"

"Hear that Sideswipe?" William asked,

"Yes I did, I'll come with you to visit her," the silver corvette said.

"**You'll let her rest,"** Ratchet said over his comm link,

"**Oh come on Ratchet, I've got to see her some time,"**

"Strobe found the friendship the Autobots were sharing with the human femme very foreign and puzzling. Ratchet listened to the conversation and decided he would visit the human female once he'd sorted out Strobe, he was a bit concerned she was home already,

"William I'm really tired,"

"Okay, I'll let you get back to sleep and I'll see you when we get back,"

"Night," Beth called.

It was nine pm when the convoy turned into the NEST base and drove through the heavy blast doors. Optimus Prime heard the noise of the convoy and walked toward them, Strobe was bit slower in her transformation progress than the others due to her injuries and pain. As she stood up she saw the Prime standing in front of her looking every bit as regal as he did when she last saw him on Cybertron, his piercing sapphire optics shining brightly in the dull light. Strobe looked around at the Autobots who were in front of her and those behind her who had come to rescue her, Jazz and Ironhide were nowhere to be seen,

"Strobe welcome to your new home," Optimus Prime said warmly,

"Thank you sir," Strobe replied quietly, "But where is my brother and Jazz,"

* * *

><p>Uh oh!<p>

How will Strobe take the news.

Update coming soon!


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer; I don't own anything to do with Transformers. I do have four OC's in this story.**

**Thank you for your reviews, putting my story on your favorites and alerts. **

* * *

><p>Chapter 3<p>

Friends or enemies.

Strobe's POV

_I couldn't believe it when I found out about Sentinel Prime's betrayal. He was one of the most trusted and wise mechs in the Transformer race…and Optimus Prime's friend and mentor. Prime would be gutted when he finds out but I had a responsibility to get this information to him; it could've tipped the balance in our favour. I set off as quick as I could avoiding every single missile and plasma round; my processors focused on one thing…making sure the information I had got into the **right** hands. I didn't care what happened to me after that._

_I hadn't intended on landing on this tiny planet but things went terribly wrong and I ended up here...on this organic mud ball I believe they called...earth. Very fitting! I was surrounded by tiny creatures trying to communicate with me, experimenting on me and torturing me. It was just horrific. I suffered so much pain at their hands, who would **ever** have believed a species so small with such inferior technology could be so sadistic. I was desperate to get that information to Prime but I couldn't and I feared the worst for the inhabitants. However as time went by and their experiments became more painful I became less sympathetic toward them._

_I heard bits of conversation about a place called Mission city which had been attacked and then a battle in Egypt between two factions of giant alien robots; that's when I knew that the war on Cybertron had now found its way here. It wasn't until I caught a glimpse of Bumblebee on the TV that I realized the Autobots had found their way here. My hope was renewed and I could hopefully get this information to Prime after all…it hadn't occurred to me I may have been too late._

_I was so relieved to see Ratchet, Mirage, Bumblebee and Sideswipe with the humans. I hadn't thought about humans and Autobots becoming allies and that confused me even more. So here I am now back at NEST with my own kind in Optimus Prime's office and I don't think I'm going to get good news, I looked at the three mechs standing around me, they looked so…worried…sad even. What had happened?_

Optimus Prime looked at Strobe, she looked so weary; her optics were so empty and void of life and she seemed weak. There were scorch marks all over her and her wrists were completely buckled out of shape,

"Strobe," he said gently with a compassionate expression on his face to match, "We haven't seen you for a very long time and many of us believed you were dead. Much has happened in that time which I believe you will learn over time. Many of us have survived the war many have not…" Strobe looked down, she really didn't like where this was going, she looked back at the Autobot leader as he continued talking…"Strobe Ironhide and Jazz were both killed…during battle…here on earth,"

Suddenly a massive gaping hole opened in her spark into a dark emptiness…no…not Jazz, not Ironhide,

"No," she said, "It's not true…you're lying!"

Optimus Prime looked at her, her dull sapphire optics looked back at him sadly…her faceplates contorted with pain,

"No Strobe, I'm not lying," Optimus replied firmly

He'd never been accused of lying before, his integrity wouldn't allow it; he became disappointed by the femme's accusation but tried hard to understand why she'd say something like that. She'd been through a lot, he could see that…her body, her optics…she was a shadow of her former self and who knows what state her processors were in. She looked at him,

"You're not lying…are you?" she replied quietly as she fought the loneliness threatening to engulf her,

Optimus looked down, "….No Strobe…I'm not…I can't, my programming won't allow it. You should know that,"

Strobe looked down and shuttered her optics, she felt angry.

Real angry!

Bumblebee tried to put an arm around her to offer comfort but she pushed it off, "Get off of me," she growled.

The yellow scout looked hurt but nobody was prepared for her next reaction. She looked at Optimus and growled as she overturned his desk, she swung around and raced out of his office,

"Strobe no," Ratchet yelled, "Stop!"

Sideswipe turned around and rushed toward the femme. He grabbed her and pushed her against the wall,

"Watch out!" the warrior growled at the humans skittering to avoid the Autobot's feet.

Strobe pushed Sideswipe off and went to run again but Mirage joined in and together they wrestled her to the ground,

"Let me go!" she growled through clenched dental plates and fought them off,

"No," Mirage growled back as all three of them fell to the ground.

Ratchet raced up to them with a syringe and injected a sedative into Strobe,

"What have you given me?" she growled as she fought it,

"A sedative," Ratchet replied firmly, "Don't fight it!"

Strobe looked around at the three mechs holding onto her, and then she looked around at the humans watching with concern for what may happen next. William and Robert heard the noise and came racing out,

"What's going on?" Lennox asked

He looked around at the three Autobots and then turned to the humans,

"The female Autobot was out of control," one of them said.

Strobe growled at the explanation and went to hit out at the humans but they were too far away. Ratchet pinned her arm down,

"William move your men away from here," the medic demanded,

"Alright you lot you heard him, get back to your posts," William yelled.

The area cleared quickly leaving the Autobots to deal with Strobe. Her optics started flickering as her systems begun to react to the sedative. Strobe looked up at the medic and tried to focus on him but he kept fading into a fuzzy blackness, she saw Ironhide before he left Cybertron in the blackness surrounding her,

"Ironhide," she cried, "It's my fault, I'm sorry, it's my fault you're dead. I'm so sorry" an energon tear slipped down her faceplates and plopped on the floor,

"No sweetspark…it isn't your fault," Sideswipe said as he stroked her helm,

Ratchet looked at the femme and then Sideswipe, "The sedative is causing her to hallucinate," he looked down at Strobe, "Just rest," Ratchet said a little bit more gently, "We'll explain everything to you when you are better,"

"Nothing to explain…it's…myyyyyyyyy….fffff…a...ult," she said sleepily,

"The sedative is working," Ratchet said,

"She does this, she blames herself if things go wrong. Strobe doesn't cope very well with failure," Mirage said as he released his hold on the femme. Ratchet made a note of Mirage's words, he'd look into that when he checks her memory banks. Sideswipe and Mirage held her down until the sedative worked; they lifted her up, carried her into the med bay and gently laid her on the berth,

"Okay you two can leave now," the medic said as he started to go over the femme laying in front of him.

He checked her navigational systems, they were burnt out and the wiring was charred and soldered together. It looked old and the medic wondered if it had happened on Cybertron, they were going to take some fixing which didn't concern him. What really concerned Ratchet was the injuries to her wrists and ankle joints…they looked burnt and worn away. He checked her memory, it looked like it had been over loaded at some stage by something far less inferior by Cybertronian standards; the damage looked very similar to the injuries Bumblebee had sustained when he was captured by the humans,

"Oh Strobe…what happened to you?" the medic groaned.

Optimus Prime went to see Ratchet,

"How is she?" he asked,

"Well her navigational systems are a mess but it's an old injury possibly from Cybertron judging by the way they are burnt out but I'm more concerned about her other injuries. Prime I have every good reason to believe she was tortured by the humans. Her injuries are very similar to Bumblebee's,"

Compressed air hissed out of the Autobot leader's vents, as he pinched the bridge of his nose. He wondered what it was that made the humans need to experiment on anything out of the ordinary. Ratchet carried on with his investigations,

"I really could do with Wheeljack right now," he said sadly.

Prime patted him on the shoulder, "I know old friend,"

"Optimus as she was going under the sedative she kept blaming herself for something and saying it was her fault. Mirage mentioned she doesn't cope with failure, I believe she blames herself for what happened here,"

Optimus Prime growled quietly, they had had a few conversations about her failing…she was a very good spy, there was _never_ a time when she failed them but he couldn't seem to get that through to her,

"She always has," he told the medic, "I knew her creators…they told her she'd never amount to anything and whatever she would put her hand to would fail. I remember Sentinel Prime giving them a good dressing down over that one," Ratchet smiled sadly, that was the Sentinel Prime he respected.

Optimus looked at the femme on the berth sadly, she looked so vulnerable and weak; nothing like the Strobe he knew on Cybertron. The automaton walked toward the berth and stroked her helm,

"She'll be alright, Prime," Ratchet assured his leader as he picked up a pair of cutters to cut away the damaged wiring,

"Let me know if there is any way in which I can help you, Ratchet," Prime offered before he turned to leave the area designated as a med bay.

* * *

><p>The men sat in their cells silently, they had been separated so that they couldn't communicate with each other in any way or form and they had been stripped of belts, laces and any form of communication with the outside world. Some of them were frightened and wondered what they had become involved with while others became frustrated by the lack of information and inability to communicate with loved ones. Simon hadn't slept all night, he had spent the whole time pacing backwards and forwards trying to work out where he was and if Aiden had anything do with their capture. The more he thought about it the more he convinced himself that Aiden was involved and he needed to do something about the squirmy little rat.<p>

The window in the door was opened and a face looked in before a tray was passed through. Simon looked at the tray, took it and smelt the food. It's odour was better than it looked; his stomach gurgled at the smell of the food and the middle aged man found it hard to resist. There hadn't been any noise all night except for the sound of his footsteps beating on the plain white tiled floor of his cell, he banged his knife and fork on the china plate as hard as possible to break the monotony of the never ending silence. Footsteps could be heard outside and stopped by his door, he could hear muttering outside and more shuffling footsteps but they soon disappeared. Simon was now back to the never ending silence.

The window to his door opened again and a female voice spoke,

"Pass your plate through the window," the middle aged man looked at his plate and turned away,

"Sir," the voice said a bit more impatiently, "Pass your plate through the window,"

He heard another voice speak to the woman on the other side of his door and then speak to him,

"Sir, pass your plate through the window please,"

Simon reluctantly got up and took his plate to the door he laid the tray on the ledge and shoved it through. He smiled with satisfaction when he heard the china smash on the tiled floor,

"Give him paper plates and cup next time," he said to the woman.

Simon leaned back against the wall satisfied with the course of action he'd just taken, he really didn't care if he was going to have paper plates and cups, all he cared about was getting out. Once again he was left with the monotony of silence. Ever so slowly his eyes closed and he slipped into a restless sleep.

Every now and then he was woken up by voices, shuffling of feet and a bang which echoed around the jail where they were held as the heavy doors to cells were shut. He knew that the men who had helped him were being questioned but he hoped they wouldn't give away too much information. He had no idea that others would come and get her or that they would be accompanied by humans, neither did anybody else and he begun to wonder if Aiden's course of action was the right one. However, he was here now and that really annoyed the man. He got up after another clang and started banging on his door,

"Let me outta here," he yelled, "I'm innocent, let me out,"

"Be quiet!" a voice yelled at him, "You'll be let out for questioning when the time comes,"

"Questioning?" Simon bellowed angrily, "In that case I want a lawyer. I have a right to an attorney, get me an attorney,"

"You'll get an attorney,"

Charlotte made her way through the early morning traffic to the N.E.S.T base, she'd heard from William that they had safely arrived with the femme bot but she hadn't heard anything from the back up team except there were men who had been taken in because they had her cornered. The N.E.S.T base was quiet which wasn't really something that surprised the woman. The two men at the sentry saluted her as the barrier rose allowing the Director of National intelligence in. She got out of her car and walked through the doors of N.E.S.T closely followed by her aid.

The Autobots heard the sound of her clacking heels and looked around to see who it was, when they saw her they just carried on with their duties. Some of them believed if she was more forth coming with the truth Ironhide, Wheeljack, Brains and Wheelie would still be alive. However Prime told them otherwise which was really the truth.

The blonde woman walked up the stairs to the catwalk, her aid behind her missing every other step. As she walked around the catwalk she looked at the Autobots but didn't see any sign of the new femme. Ratchet saw the woman looking but he wasn't going to offer her any information…he didn't like her! She was a pest. Ratchet walked back into the med bay refreshed after a recharge. The femme was still lying on the berth covered by a sheet for her dignity more than anything else,

"Morning Strobe," he clicked in his native Cybertronian and checked her energon tubes and levels. All was good.

He pulled back the covering that was over her body and checked the work he had done the day before, he needed to complete the work on her navigational systems before he moved on. There was the sound of somebody coughing behind him and when he looked around he found a tiny male human in army greens looking tired and unshaven. Ratchet walked toward him and knelt down to his level, he could see the man was a young recruit who had joined them the same time as Beth Amersham,

"The wiring you requested sir," he said as he held out his hands nervously.

"Thank you," Ratchet replied and took the wiring,

"You're welcome, let me know if there is anything else I can do for you. My father was an electronic and he taught m a lot of stuff so I may be able to assist you with something…," he looked at the medic who had a grateful look on his face, "…Oh but not today, I was working last night, I need to sleep…but I'm working again tonight,"

A deep rumble emanated from the green medic which the young man assumed was laughter, maybe he could use the young soldier; he'd have to teach him of course but with himself being the only medic a little human help would go a long way,

"I would appreciate the help but clear it with William Lennox first," Ratchet replied.

The soldier's face lit up at Ratchet's words, "Yes sir. It would be an honour working with you,"

"And you too," Ratchet replied warmly.

Charlotte heard the voices speaking in the N.E.S.T base and made her way to the sound. She walked along the catwalk and found the berth with the femme laying on it. She watched the interaction between the soldier and the Autobot medic for a while and wondered what they were talking about.

"Is that the…femme," Charlotte yelled so that the medic could hear her.

He turned around to see who had spoken to him in such a manner and frowned at the bespectacled woman,

"You don't need yell at me," the medic snipped,

"Just answer the question!" Charlotte replied.

She got frustrated very quickly by the medic on most rare occasions she had to speak to him and this morning was no exception. Ratchet refused to entertain the insolent woman and turned his back on her. She sighed in frustration as she watched him fiddle with the wiring on a bench on the opposite side of the building and wondered what he was doing. He turned around and noticed she was still watching him, compressed air hissed through his valves and he reluctantly approached her,

"This is the femme," he said,

"What happened to her?" Charlotte asked.

Ratchet heard the gentle tone in her voice, it was a stark contrast to the harsh no nonsense tone she normally spoke with,

"She was injured during the war on Cybertron, her navigational systems were knocked out by a blast from a Decepticon," Charlotte listened intently to what the medic was saying. She noticed a change in his demeanour and he seemed to be hesitating, "…There are also more recent injuries…her wrists and arms have been worn down and some of her circuitry has been burnt out by something. I don't know by what…I haven't seen anything like this before. It definitely isn't Cybertronian we have more…efficient ways of getting information from a mech or femme, perhaps you could shed some light on it. There is also damage done to her knee caused by a gunshot from humans who had her cornered,"

Charlotte had a little bit of information but not enough to say she knew what was going on. She looked at Ratchet,

"What did she used to do on Cybertron?"

Ratchet looked at her again he knew Strobe was a spy but he wasn't going to give up that information,

"That information I cannot give you," he replied politely,

"I'm sorry," she retorted, "I believe you can,"

"Miss. Mearing, there are some things you do not need to know, Strobe will tell you if she chooses to in the meantime it is information _you_ will not be entitled to,"

"As long as she is residing in this base I have to know what she did. I will have to explain in a report to my senior who she is and what she did for the sake of National security and the security of earth," Charlotte retorted sharply,

Optimus Prime and William heard the raised voices of the medic and Charlotte and went to investigate the situation. Charlotte heard the whine of Prime's hydraulics as he approached the human and Cybertronian,

"Optimus Prime please explain to your medic that I need to know what the femme did on Cybertron,"

"I beg your pardon," Ratchet snorted, "You can't speak to Optimus Prime like that,"

Stand down Ratchet. I can handle this femme," Prime replied as he glared at her,

"Strobe was an integral member of the Autobot army on Cybertron. She didn't tip the balance nobody did, the Decepticon army was just too strong,"

Charlotte looked at the Autobot leader thoughtfully, "Fine…," she finally said, "…I'll put that in my report it should satisfy them,"

* * *

><p>Simon was hand cuffed and lead to a room where he would be interviewed. He was in between two security staff who were holding both his arms and guiding him through the plain white corridors. The harsh lighting and dark blue tiled flooring added to the harshness of the corridor and Simon really didn't like it. He was taken into an interview room with one table, a chair and a camera. One of the security staff pulled the chair out from the table and pushed Simon into it. A man walked into the room, he was dressed in a navy blue expensive suit with a white shirt and balck tie. Simon sat in front of the man who opened a file and pulled a pen out of his inside pocket. The pen clicked as he pushed the button and the ball point emerged from the other end. He pushed a tape in, read his rights and gave the interview start time.<p>

The man would have been middle aged with a bald head, his eyes were cold and grey; they looked at him harshly as he started the interview,

"Mr. Simon Wilson," he said,

"Yes sir, that is me," Simon replied.

The initial questions were easy but as they got further into the interview they became a lot more intense and Simon's co operation became a lot less willing and the interviewer was getting frustrated,

"What was the nature of your work in the…research facility," he asked again as he desperately tried to remain patient.

Simon leaned back in the chair and put his feet on the table, crossing them at the ankles, he smirked at the suited man as he thought about the femme now with her own people. The man in the suit threw his pen down in frustration,

"Mr. Wilson," the interviewer said impatiently, "I can't even begin to explain to you the delicate nature of this matter and we need to get to the bottom of it. Now I'm going to ask you those two questions again and you…my friend…are going to answer them. What was the nature of your work in the research facility and how did you come across the Autobot you were hunting in the forest,"

"Oh come on now…it was hardly hunting," he replied in a patronising manner, "Why don't you speak to Aiden Amersham, I'm sure he'd be willing to give you some information,"

The man in the suit looked at him, his grey eyes glaring at him. He put the pen down, closed the file, gave the interview end time. He left the room but before he did he turned around to Simon,

"We have interviewed the men who were with you, they have all been allowed to leave. Most of them didn't give us any information they seemed to think you'd be able to supply it. We _will _find out what you were doing in this research facility and when we do we may consider punishing you severely if it calls for it," Simon snorted and turned away,

"And what can you do about it?" he snarled.

The man in the suit rushed up to the table and leaned across it so he was in Simon's face. Simon considered grabbing his tie and strangling him with it and if it wasn't for the fact a soldier was standing in the room he'd have done exactly that,

"Mr. Wilson I cannot even begin to stress to you the amount of trouble you are in. We may be able to get you out of it _if _you co operate with us, we would then ask you to sign a contract of confidentiality after which we will allow you to go home. If you don't then the matter will be taken further," he got up and left the room leaving Simon to think things through.

As the man in the suit walked through the corridors to his office pulled his Blackberry from his pocket and called Charlotte. She had left the NEST base and she was walking to her car when her phone rang,

"Charlotte Mearing," she said

"Miss. Mearing we have interviewed the men involved with the hunt for the femme Autobot. Most of them left it up to Simon Wilson to say something but we got very little from him except that he worked for some research installation and a name…Aiden Amersham. He wouldn't go any further than that, I believe he is hiding something,"

"Amersham, Amersham…that name's familiar," Charlotte muttered to herself,

"Alright see what you can find out about Aiden Amersham," she said,

"Yes ma'am," the voice replied on the other side.

She pinched the bridge of her nose and sighed in frustration before turning to go back into the N.E.S.T base to speak to William. She found the soldier speaking to the medic about the young private who wanted to help him. William was all for the idea it was about time the medic had a new assistant since Mikaela had gone and Jolt was sent off planet to help with the war in another universe,

"Colonel Lennox does the name Amersham ring a bell?"

William looked at her, "Yes it does actually, it's the name of one of my Private's associated with N.E.S.T. Why?"

"Would you know if she has a brother?" William looked at her suspiciously, while Ratchet came and stood behind the soldier,

"I don't know, we encourage the soldiers not to mention their families due to the nature of the enemy. Is there a problem?"

"Where is he now?"

"Who?" William asked,

"Private Amersham," Charlotte replied

"Beth…she is on sick leave recuperating from her injuries from the battle in Chicago,"

"Oh…well when does she arrive back,"

"I don't know I haven't heard from her yet," William replied,

"Hm," she replied, "Well let me know when she's due back I need to find this man, Aiden Amersham,"

Charlotte left N.E.S.T to go to her office,

"She knows something," Ratchet said,

"I know," William growled.

The private who had volunteered to work with Ratchet was among the fresh faced men who had turned up for their shift that evening. William caught sight of him and called him over,

"Yes sir?" he said,

"I believe you offered to help Ratchet yesterday," William said with a wry smile,

"Yes sir, I did," Mark replied.

William turned to Ratchet "He's all yours, I've finished for the day call me if there are any problems," he said,

"Yes William Lennox," Ratchet replied.

Ratchet carried Mark toward Strobe and placed him on the berth next to the femme. She was surrounded by wiring of differing lengths and sizes, they were attached to small data pads with glyphs written on them. Ratchet looked at his new student as he opened a panel on her cpu,

"While you are working with me on Strobe I expect you to treat her with the utmost respect and dignity, she deserves it,"

"Yes sir," Mark replied.

Ratchet handed the wiring to Mark, "I'm going to start on her navigational system first, we need to connect it to her cpu. Ratchet took a soldering tool and gave it to Mark, "I'm going to rest this end of the wire on her navigational circuit board, I want you to solder it on,"

The wire was small and Mark wondered how the medic could hold onto the wire, his question was soon answered when he picked up a small pair of pinchers with a long handle. He rested the end of the wire on the circuit board,

"Solder the wire, please," the medic asked.

Mark carefully soldered the wire onto her navigational circuit board, Ratchet looked at the finshed product and nodded,

"Not bad, I see you've been taught well," he said,

"My father believed if a job is worth doing than it is worth doing well," Mark replied,

"Let's connect it to her cpu, and then I need to check her spark chamber,"

"What's a spark chamber?" Mark asked,

"It is the area which houses our spark,"

"Oh," a pensive look crossed Mark's face, "Your spark…it's the equivalent to the human heart right?" Ratchet looked at him, pleased with his new student's ability to learn,

"Yes it is, Mark…but a little bit more. It is more like an equivalent to the human soul. Everything we are comes from our spark and when we bond the two sparks of the couple merge so they become one but when one of them dies the other one follows soon afterwards unless they can quickly find another spark mate or have a twin like Sideswipe and Skids and Mudflap,"

"That is sad," Mark replied,

"Yes it is, it can be a very painful time for the surviving Cybertronian simply because their spark is effectively dying, the void and lonliness is very real,"

A look of sadness crossed Mark's face, he knew that void...the loneliness Ratchet was talking about. Mark looked around the N.E.S.T base, this was his family now,

"Are you alright Mark?" Ratchet asked,

"Yes," he replied sadly, Ratchet cocked an eyebrow ridge unconvinced by Mark's reply.

Ratchet placed the end of the wire on the connection and asked Mark to solder it on. Mark watched as the wire melted neatly onto the connection and gently pulled the soldering iron away.

Okay let's start up her navigational system,"

The medic pushed the button on the machine to activate the system, it bleeped and a whole set of coordinates came up on the screen,

"It's online,"

Mark looked up at the the strange glyphs on the screen, "What do those figures mean," he asked,

"They were her last set of coordinates to get her back to Iacon, they are in our own language," Ratchet replied,

"Iacon?…Is that your home?"

"It was our home Mark, it has been destroyed by the ravages of war. That is why we chose to stay here on earth, to protect your planet. The Decepticons won't leave because they know there are plenty of resources here, if we go it will mean they can exploit this planet of all its resources and kill the human race,"

"But that threats over now isn't it?" Mark asked,

"...Megatron is dead but there are others who would just as quickly fill his space," Ratchet saw the alarmed look on Mark's face, "We don't know where they are or if they even know of planet earth besides Cybertron was destroyed during the battle in Chicago so now we don't have a home to return to even if we wanted to,"

Ahh shame…I guess you'll just have to stay here then," Mark replied with a cheeky grin. A deep rumble emanated from Ratchet's chest convincing the young soldier even more that Ratchet was actually laughing.

Ratchet closed the panel of Strobe's cpu and moved down to her spark chamber, he looked at Mark, "This is a very delicate area of a Cybertronian we have to be careful,"

"Okay," Mark replied, "Why are you checking it?"

"Because I need to make sure her spark isn't damaged due to how she obtained her injuries,"

Ratchet looked at the wiring, there were small signs that at some stage she received an excessive amount of electrical current. He gently touched the wiring which caused the femme's spark to spike a little. Ratchet turned around at the sound of the alarm coming from the machine measuring the femme's spark activity. Ratchet laid a hand on her helm,

"Hush, sweetspark," he said calmly.

Something was bothering Mark, he knew Ratchet was close friends with Ironhide and Wheeljack but he seemed to be coping with it better than what the medic was saying,

"What about you Ratchet," the medic looked at him stunned that somebody should ask after him,

"What do you mean?" he asked,

"Well, you have lost Ironhide and Wheeljack, don't you feel it?"

"No, we weren't bonded," Ratchet replied, "But I still feel the emptiness at the loss of two very close friends.

He checked her spark chamber one last time, there was really nothing he needed to do there, her body's natural healing property would do most of that.

"Is her spark alright?" Mark asked,

"There are some signs of stress bu her nannites will take care of that,"

"Nannites?" Mark asked,

"Yes they heal a Cybetronian's body, they naturally live within us,"

"Oh. You know there is so much to learn, I have to find something to make notes with,"

"Pad and paper will do," Ratchet replied.

Mark looked down at the area of her knee which was damaged by the slug. He ran a finger over the knee, the metal was sharp but it felt warm as well,

"Careful," Ratchet said, "She may have some residue energon on her knee and if you cut your fingers on her broken armour the energon will absorb into your blood and it acts as a deadly poison on organic beings,"

Mark quickly withdrew her finger and checked it but it was fine.

* * *

><p>Charlotte received another telephone message from the suited man,<p>

"_Ma'am we have tried to speak to Simon again but he is uncooperative,"_

"I see," Charlotte said as she pondered a plan, "Release him and follow him to see where he goes,"

"_Do you think that's wise ma'am?"_ the suited man asked,

"Just do it!" she ordered flatly as she massaged her forehead,

"_Yes ma'am,"_

Charlotte heard the phone click as he hang up, she pocketed hers just as William walked in with Optimus Prime, they were both in deep conversation which appeared t be light hearted judging by the expressions on their faces. The soldier was sitting on the old warrior's shoulder, both united by fierce battles to save a planet that both called home. Charlotte heard the heavy footsteps of the mech and rushed out of the way to avoid him. She jumped into her car and went back to her office, William looked in her direction and wondered where she was off to in a hurry.

Simon heard people walking up to his cell, the door opened and a uniformed guard walked in holding the hand cuffs once again. Simon obediently held out his hands to allow the guard to place them on his wrist and then he was taken to the interview room. The suited man was in there once again with the file flat on his desk. He looked up at the middle aged blonde in front of him and grunted before he was once again pushed down into a chair,

"Well Mr. Wilson, it appears you are allowed to go free. Not that I agree with it," he replied snidely,

"What?" Simon asked,

"We're letting you go but...if you should end up in here again you will be in a lot more trouble,"

A smirk crossed his face, "Couldn't find anything to get me with. Told you I was innocent," arrogance dripped off his voice as his chest puffed out.

The suited man looked at him, shook his head and checked his file again, "No…the powers that be have decided to release you, although why they'd do that I don't know. What I do know is we will be watching you, I've seen people like you before. They just can't help themselves. We will see you again,"

Simon looked at him he didn't care what this man thought, he just had one thing in mind now…find Aiden Amersham and deal with him and then his family. He just needed to do one thing first, go back to the research centre and mop up anything left behind. A guard approached Simon and walked him to a desk where he was released from the hand cuffs, handed back his laces, his belt and a few other belongings and escorted him out of the building. A waiting black SUV stood in front of the building which he was instructed to get into so that he could be driven home.

Simon walked into his house, his dogs raced up to him wagging their tails and sniffing him,

"Hello," he said as he got down to their level and patted their heads.

Simon walked into the kitchen followed by his dogs who padded behind him their ears folded back and their heads hang low. The middle aged man set up the coffee maker and fed his dogs, he went to the bathroom and showered after which he checked his messages. There was an irate message from his boss but that was all,

"_Huh!" _nobody missed me he throught.

Simon never married, he was married to his job and his parents were both elderly and frail but Simon visited them regularly and that was going to be his first port of call this morning. He was unaware of the car sitting just out of sight from his place watching his movements as he left with the dogs and walked through the parkland opposite him.

While he watched the dogs happily trot through the parkland he pulled his phone out of his pocket and rang Aiden's home number, no answer. He tried his mobile phone, no answer. Simon looked up and mouthed an obscenity; he scrolled through a load of numbers until he came across a "mate" who owed him a favour,

"_Yeah_," a voice snarled in his ear,

"Simon here. I gotta favour to ask you?" he said, "You owe me,"

The man on the other end growled and rubbed his beard, _"Yeah…what do you want_?"

"I want you to find a man by the name of Aiden Amersham, can we meet?"

The man on the other end of the phone really didn't want to get involved in Simon's dirty work. The last time he did they got caught and he was the one that went down for it. He thought about it very carefully before giving his answer,

"_No, you're on you own_," he replied,

"But, you owe…,"

"_No Simon, you owe me. I went down for you last time,_" the line went dead leaving Simon hanging off on the other end mouthing yet another obscenity. He carried on walking through the parkland desperately trying to figure out what to do next. He had to get hold of Aiden Amersham, the man had to be taught a lesson for squealing.

Ratchet looked at the femme's wrist and ankle joints, he shook his head and clicked angrily to himself, the medic scanned the joints and slammed his fist on the berth making Mark jump. The damage to her wrists and ankles was substantial with wiring burnt out and burn marks going up her arms. He ran an overall diagnostic scan of her systems and electrical wiring and discovered that she had suffered from at least one major overload if not more, he wondered what could have caused it. Ratchet showed it to Mark,

"Do you know what caused this?" he asked.

Mark looked at the holoform of Strobe's body hanging in mid air, "Wow Ratchet, this is amazing technology you have, we humans can only dream about this sort of thing,"

Ratchet smirked and then pointed to the shadowing on the holoform, "See these areas here, they show substantial overload of electricity. Do you know of anything which may have caused it?" he asked just a little bit impatiently,

"No," Mark replied, "I don't know of anything which could produce that sort of power,"

Ratchet checked her cpu again thankfully her memory banks had suffered minimal damage but what bothered the medic was the damage to the delicate wiring underneath her armour leading up to her cpu and a bundle of wiring just above her spark chamber,

"Oh Strobe, what have you done?" Ratchet asked,

"Is it recent?" Mark asked,

"Yes it is, the ends aren't rusted," Ratchet replied as he moved the delicate wiring around.

Optimus Prime walked into the med bay and saw the human and the medic working together. He never ceased to be amazed at the amazing trust these tiny organic creatures on the N.E.S.T team could work well with the Autobots and wished the rest of the human race could learn to trust them as well. These humans on N.E.S.T had formed a bond with the AUtobots birthed through adversity which required the Autobots and the humans to learn to trust each other,

"How is Strobe?" Prime asked,

"Optimus she has been through quite an ordeal both on Cybertron and on earth, I'll be surprised if she ever trusts any human member of N.E.S.T," he said sadly,

A worried frown crossed Prime's face, "What happened to her?"

"The injuries on her wrists and ankles definitely suggest torture, her wrists and ankles have been damaged by something over them for a long period of time; I'm going to have to completely rebuild them. There are hair line cracks in her leg struts caused by pressure and she has burnt out wiring where circuitry has been overloaded by powerful electrical charges," Ratchet looked at Prime and planted his hands on his hips, "Who are these people to cause this sort of harm," he spat.

Optimus growled as he turned on his heels. He was livid…the very species they'd fought hard to save had harmed one of his Autobots, "_Maybe Ironhide was right to say what he did all those years ago at Hoover dam," _the old leader thought to himself as he left the med bay. He wondered if Charlotte knew anything about this, after all the woman seemed to know a lot of things they didn't and she was always there opposing whatever they wanted to do. He marched out of the med bay and through the base,

"Colonel William Lennox!" his resonant baritone voice bellowed through the base commanding the attention of human and Autobot alike.

The whole base stopped dead still and glared at the angry thirty two foot mech, marching angrily through the base toward the communication area on the platform. Lennox jumped at the sound of the Autobot leaders voice; never had Prime spoken to him in such a way and whatever had him riled up had obviously upset him to the core. Optimus Prime stood in front of William with a furious expression on his face. The color faded from William's face at the magnitude of Prime's wrath,

"This isn't going to be good!" Mirage whispered to Bumblebee,

"Ooh the big man's angry," Mudflap said to Skids,

"The human is going to get it," Skids retorted,

"Ratchet believes Strobe was tortured by humans," Prime stated angrily, "What do you know about it?"

William looked at Optimus Prime horrified by his statement; he knew nothing of any such thing. He swallowed a lump forming in his throat and did everything he could to keep the adrenalin from flowing. It then occurred to him why Charlotte was asking about an Aiden Amersham and what relationship he was to Beth. Now he was convinced she knew something and looked around the base angrily for the woman. His eyes once again fell upon Optimus,

"Tortured? Have you got proof of that?" William asked,

"Ratchet has found evidence of a recent electrical overload within some of Strobe's systems and damage to her wrists and ankles caused by being held in some sort of electrically charged hand cuffs,"

William growled, he knew nothing of what Prime was talking about and hoped that Charlotte didn't either. Simmons and Dutch walked into the N.E.S.T base and looked at the Colonel and the Prime eyeing each other off suspiciously. He walked up the stairs to the platform where William was standing, Seymour had never seen Optimus that angry,

"What's happening?" Simmons asked,

"It's bad…real bad!" Epps replied,

"I want answers and I want answers now," Optimus said firmly as he clenched his fists into balls, "I have lost four good mechs because of secrets humans insist on hiding and lies they insist on telling. I am not prepared to lose a femme,"

Optimus was careful not to blame William for what had happened, he was an ally who had helped them and given half the chance he would search for the woman himself but he also knew that it was better to go through the human's chain of command to get the answers he wanted and to keep Lennox and the human division of N.E.S.T on his side. Prime looked toward Seymour; another ally who had once ordered the torture of Bumblebee. A scowl crossed the mech's face as he thought of what happened to the young scout. Optimus massaged his hands with his face, how many times would he have to deal with insufferable humans like those who kept crossing his path. William looked at Prime,

"I will get answers for you," he promised as he pulled out his mobile phone and scrolled through his list of contacts to find Charlotte's number. This was happening on _her _watch which made _her_ responsible and William was determined to get the answer from her…no matter what! He wasn't going to have Autobot/human relationship destroyed through her meddling. As much as he disliked the woman being there he had to get her to come back,

Charlotte's phone was not on so William waited patiently for her answer phone message to finish,

"Hi Charlotte, Lieutenant Colonel William Lennox here. We have an emergency situation at the base and need you back here urgently," impatience laced his voice,

"I've contacted Charlotte Mearing, we have to wait for her to respond,"

Charlotte walked into her office,

"Hello Mary any messages?" she asked her secretary,

"No ma'am," Mary replied on her way through,

Charlotte walked into her office and checked her phone for messages. She heard William's voice on the other end and immediately responded to the call,

"_Tell me you don't know anything about the Autobot femme being held and tortured,"_

Charlotte hang up and swore as she raced out of her office and to her car.

* * *

><p>Uh oh! Now what?<p> 


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer; I don't own transformers. I have three own characters in this story who do belong to me; Beth and Aiden Amersham, Simon Wilson and Strobe.**

* * *

><p>Chapter 4<p>

Brothers in arms.

Beth woke up slowly from her drug induced sleep to the smell of toasted cinnamon bagels and freshly brewed coffee; one of her favorite meals. In the back ground she could hear the sound of music and the odd knock of a plate as Aiden prepared her tray. Beth tried to reach up to open her curtains but it was no good, her body was just too stiff and painful to stretch or move and her groaning ribs made their presence felt even more. She slammed her fist on the bed in frustration but waited for Aiden to come in with her breakfast. Aiden knocked on her door,

"Beth, are you awake?" he called,

"Yes I am," she replied.

Aiden put the tray down on the end of her bed and lifted her so that she was comfortable. He arranged the pillows around her to properly support her and placed the tray on her lap,

"Are you in any pain?" he asked her,

Beth didn't want to take any more of those pain killers the doctor had prescribed her from the hospital, they knocked her out,

"A little bit but I can cope with it," she lied, "Can you open my curtains?"

He got up and opened the curtains inviting the bright sunlight into her room and bathing it in a warm glow. Beth took a bite from her bagel,

"Have you heard from your family?" she asked with her mouth full.

One thing which really annoyed Beth's brother was people speaking with their mouths full, he cringed at his sister's lack of manners, "Hmm hmm," he coughed,

Beth quickly swallowed the half chewed Bagel, "Sorry," she replied as she silently yelled at the stubborn lump trying to manoeuvre itself painfully down her esophagus making her eyes water,

"I rang them when I arrived here," he replied.

"How are they?" she asked as she took a sip of coffee to help the stuborn lump move down.

Aiden nodded, "They were well then. They're at her parent's house,"

Beth looked at him and frowned, "Do you really think this man will harm your family?" she asked,

"He's done it before…to a good friend of mine…," Aiden looked down,

"What happened?" she asked,

"He challenged Simon's ethics and reported him for some shady business that was going on. Simon is a dangerous man Beth. I didn't agree with what he was doing and if anybody else finds out about this he will come looking for me,"

Beth put her hand on her brother's hand, "We'll sort this out, I promise," she said seriously,

"Yeah, thanks," he replied, "More coffee?"

"Actually I'd like to have a shower and get dressed,"

"The doctor said you had to…," Aiden went to argue,

"I'm well aware of what the doctor said, Aiden. He said I had to rest not stop living!" she snapped.

"Alright, do you need some help?" he asked,

"Yeah could I have some pain killers before I move, not the ones the hospital gave me they are a little bit strong, some ibuprofen should do the trick and I'll save the others for night time."

Aiden fetched Beth a glass of water and her packet of ibuprofen as he moved through the lounge room his cell phone rang. Aiden picked up his phone on the way back to Beth's bedroom. He placed her tablet and glass in her hand and then he answered his phone,

"Hello?"

"_Aiden,"_ Simon's voice purred on the other end.

The young man's face went pale and he started to shake, "Simon," Aiden exclaimed as he flopped on a chair in the corner of Beth's bedroom. Beth became concerned for her younger brother, whoever this Simon guy was he had Aiden very worried, "What do you want, Simon?" he asked,

"_Well…I was just ringing you to see if we could have a little…chat. You see I ended up in a little bit of trouble and spent the night in jail,_"

"What does that have to do with me?"

"_Well during the interview your name came up and as you can imagine I'm not a happy person. You have implicated me in a very serious matter and I want to get to the bottom of it_,"

"I don't know what you're talking about," Aiden replied,

Simon took on a more serious tone with the young man, "_Look!"_ he said, "_I don't like snitches, Aiden, and you snitched on me. I ended up in jail because of you, do you understand? Now either you come and meet me or I will have to come and find you. I know you're not at your house I have already been there so I suggest you come out of your little hole and meet me today at twelve noon in the car park of the research facility,"_

"No, I can't Simon," Aiden replied,

"_Fine, have it your way. I will come and __find you and when I do I will make sure you regret making that decision,"_

Simon snapped his cell phone shut and tossed it on his couch. He didn't know where Aiden was and had to do some investigating. Aiden looked up at Beth,

"Are you okay?" she asked,

"Yeah…," he said uncertainly,

"Yeah right Aiden, you're lying," she retorted sarcastically. Aiden sighed,

"I'm okay, I'll sort it out," he snapped at his sister,

"How Aiden?" Beth asked as her chocolate brown eyes glared at him, "How are you going to sort this out, this isn't a game, this is serious and if it affects my little brother than it affects me too,"

Aiden sat on the bed by Beth, "No, I don't want you involved, he is not a nice man,"

Beth sighed,

"Aiden, we have to stick together. You and I we're all we've got and I don't want to lose you…not now, not ever,"

Aiden reached forward and pushed a brown spiral away from Beth's face and behind her ear, "You won't lose me, I promise," he replied seriously.

Beth looked at him unconvinced at her brother's words, there was a knock at the door disturbing the pair,

"Oh, who can that be?" she hissed to herself,

"I'll go and find out," Aiden got up from where he was sitting hoping that whoever was on the other side would be a friend of Beth's and a distraction.

The young woman shut her eyes and prayed a silent prayer for her brother, "_Dear God, whatever my brother has got himself involved in please keep him safe,"_ she opened her eyes and looked at the indentation on the quilt where Aiden was sitting and then up again as a young man with dark spiky hair and blue eyes walked into her room,

"Somebody is here to see you," Aiden said,

"Hey baby, how's my favourite soldier girl?" she looked at the young man dressed in black jeans, a silver t shirt and a black denim jacket. Around his neck were dog tags, one with strange symbols which Beth assumed was his name written in his native language and the other one had the Autobot logo on it. There was only one Autobot who called her his favourite soldier girl,

"Sideswipe?" she whispered, he smiled and nodded, "That's me honey," he replied, "Oh and I slipped out without the doc knowing so don't let on I've been here. He told us we needed to let you rest but I figured some much needed company would also be good for you,"

"Thank you, a little bit of company goes a long way; I've only got my brother here,"

"And what's wrong with that?" Aiden asked with a smile as he took Beth's tray,

"Ohhh, absolutely nothing. It's not everyday I get you waiting on me hand and foot," she teased,

"Ha ha," Aiden quipped dryly, "Make the most of it cuz when you're better I'll make sure you repay me,"

"Yeah…like that's gonna happen," Beth retorted happily

Sideswipe smiled at the friendly banter happening between the brother and sister. It reminded him of the banter that went on between himself and Sunstreaker. How he missed having his brother around. He wasn't dead Sideswipe would have felt it through their bond and he was grateful for that,

"Yes it will you mark my words," Aiden said, "One way or another I'll get you back and maybe I'll get your friend here to help,"

Sideswipe raised his hands, "Hey don't you involve me in this, I'm just visiting my friend,"

Aiden walked out of the room to allow Beth time with Sideswipe. She waited until he was out of ear shot and started talking to the mech,

"How is the family?" she asked.

The humans had set up a code language for the Autobots, because although in some circles they were common knowledge they hadn't yet become known nationwide. Besides Simon sounded like a potential enemy to the Autobots and that meant they would feel they had to protect her. Beth didn't want that, she wanted to be an ally and friend not a burden to them and she had her own protection who had promised that "_nobody would stand against her all the days of her life_,"

"It's all good, Beth, Ratchet has a new assistant and he's doing very well. They're working on a new femme at the moment, we rescued her not so long ago but she is in a bad way at the moment. She suffered at the hands of humans. Optimus is very angry about it and wants information which William is trying to find,"

Beth looked down at her quilt and bit her bottom lip. She wondered if she should tell the frontline warrior what Aiden told her or not. Sideswipe noticed Beth's change in mood,,

"Are you alright, Beth?"

"I might have the information Optimus Prime needs but I can't say anything here because it involves my brother; he told me in confidence because he knows a lot of stff which could get him in trouble if he talks,"

Sideswipe scowled, "What sort of stuff, Beth?" he asked slowly,

"Everything," Beth replied.

Sideswipe looked thoughtful and rubbed the back of his head, "Beth could you come in and speak to Optimus? you could answer a lot of questions,"

"Okay, when?"

"How about now?" Sideswipe said as he got up,

"Now? Sideswipe I'm not dressed ," she squeaked,

"You can get dressed first Beth, I'll notify Prime I'm bringing you in,"

Beth struggled to get out of bed and stand up, her ribs aching as she gingerly stood up straight. She slowly hobbled to her wardrobe in her compact bedroom and her chest where she got out the clothes she'd be most comfortable in and made her way to the shower. Her brother was in the lounge room and just opening her veranda door when he saw the Corvette sting ray parked in Beth's parking bay,

"What the...wow what a beauty. Hey Beth who owns the Corvette sting ray?"

Beth shut the door and smiled to herself,

"Actually that's mine," Sideswipe replied as he stood beside Aiden who by now was almost drawling.

She switched on the shower and stepped under the warm stream avoiding the sight of her abdomen in the mirror. The water felt good as it ran through her neglected curls and down her body, she raised her head so her face was facing the shower rose and enjoyed the feel of the water pelting on her face.

Once she was finished in the shower Beth stepped out of the shower and wiped the condensation off her mirror and for the first time she saw the bruising around her ribs and abdomen. It had faded quite a lot and she noticed that with the help of the pain killers she was able to move about a lot more freely. Beth dressed herself into a pair of comfortable track suits and a floppy white t shirt. She ran her fingers through her mass of soggy tightly spiraled curls and watched as they automatically dropped into place.

The bathroom door opened releasing the steam from the shower and the smell of Beth's shower gel and hair care products. Aiden was still going on about the corvette sting ray in her parking bay,

The young man smiled and shook his head as he turned to look at Beth "Have you seen it, she's a real beauty," Beth giggled at the feminine reference Aiden used for the corvette.

Sideswipe looked at Aiden, smiled and shrugged nonchalently,

"I'd love to have a ride in her," Aiden said innocently,

Beth could no longer hold the laughter in, she wrapped her arms around her abdomen to support her injured ribs but it was all too much and bent over howling in pain. Both the men came to her side and helped her to sit down while she waited for the pain to subside,

"Perhaps you could tell me what's so funny," Aiden asked.

Beth shook her head, "It's fine Aiden honestly, I've just never heard you obssess over a car like that,"

Sideswipe turned to Aiden, "I need to take Beth with me for a while," he said. Aiden looked at him alarmed, "Don't worry, she's safe with me, I'll drive carefully,"

Beth slowly turned and looked at him, "You? Drive carefully?" Beth asked,

"I will Beth, I promise," Sideswipe retorted seriously.

"Alright then, when can I expect her back?"

"Aiden, you're not my father, I'll ring when I am coming home," Beth snipped, "Why don't you go and have a look around Washington, you've been cooped up in here with me for the last few days,"

"Yeah, I might just do that," Aiden replied.

Sideswipe helped Beth up and walked slowly beside her as she limped to the lift and out to his car. The door to the corvette opened automatically and Sideswipe helped her in to the passenger seat with a gentleness the young soldier never even imagined the frontline warrior could possess. The engine roared to life and Sideswipe slowly pulled out of the drive and into the manic Washington traffic,

"Your brother seems really nice," Sideswipe said,

"He is, he's a real gem Sideswipe, he has a beautiful family too, I'd hate for him to be hurt in any way,"

A comforting hand rested on Beth's and squeezed it reassuringly. She looked up at him and smiled before resting her head on his shoulder,

"You're a really good friend Sideswipe, I haven't had a best friend before," she said sadly,

Sideswipe rubbed the side of her head with his long humanoid fingers, "Thank you Beth, I am honoured that you consider me to be a best friend,"

* * *

><p>Simon was still angry after the phone call he'd had with Aiden and went back to the research installation. He walked up to his office, the door was slightly open arousing the man's suspicions. Simon slowly opened the door keeping well back in case anybody was in there. He put a little bit of pressure on the door and allowed it to swing open of its own accord. It stopped and bumped into something behind it with a quiet thud. He took a step over the threshold and felt something crunch under his feet, and when he looked down he discovered a broken picture of himself and his brother together. He picked up the picture and continued toward the filing cabinet,<p>

"Let me see," he muttered to himself as he sifted through the various files in the draw but the one he was looking for, the one for Aiden Amersham was missing.

Simon slammed his fist into a drawer and swore as he looked around his office. His laptop was on the desk and opened, Simon's fingers frantically flew over the keys and the middle aged man watched as the blank screen came to life and Simon's desktop shone brightly. He double clicked the documents icon and scrolled through the various documents to find the file possessing Aiden's employement application. There he found the name and number of the young man's next of kin. Maddie Amersham. He wrote down her mobile number and then deleted Aiden's file,

"Such a shame!" Simon snarled, "You showed such promise Aiden Amersham,"

He pushed the delete button and confirmed the file to be deleted. Footsteps could be heard coming along the corridor and the soft padding of a dog's paws as the claws hit the tiled floor. Simon quickly left his office and walked in the opposite direction through the room where Strobe was held and out through the hole.

On his way to the car he looked at the number he had jotted down on a piece of paper. Just nearby a black suv was parked with two men wearing sunglasses and suits who were watching him. One of about thirty years old with short tightly curled hair and chewing gum got out of the car and walked through the car park. He stopped just by Simon and put his phone to his ear pretending to make a call while he listened to Simon.

Simon rang the number and waited to be answered,

"_Hello_?" a voice said,

"Hello, Maddie Amersham?"

"_Yes who is this_?" a deep husky voice with a Canadian accent asked,

"Oh well you don't know me, my name is Michael Dale, I used to work with your husband. I was just ringing up to see if you know where he is. It's just I want to make sure he is okay,"

"_Oh, he is okay, he's in Washington D C with his sister at the moment," _Maddie replied,

"Where does his sister live?"

"_Just a minute_," Maddie replied as she made her way to her hand bag to search for her address book, "_Oh yeah, here it is," _Maddie gave Simon Beth's full address and offered him more help if he needed it.

"Thank you," Simon replied and hang up, "That was all too easy," he muttered to himself.

The thirty year old agent went back to the back suv, "We're going to Washington D C," he said.

They waited for Simon to leave the car park and followed him about three minutes later,

"What do you think his involvement is?" the yonger one asked,

"Up to his neck!" the older one replied, "We just need to get the evidence," they drove back to the office where they reported their findings to their superior who immediately jumped into action.

* * *

><p>Sideswipe drove up to the barrier where the guards were, one of them looked at the girl in the front,<p>

"Beth Amersham, man we have we missed you around this joint, welcome back," he said as he signalled to his colleague to let the barrier up. Beth became embarrassed by the attention smiled at him as Sideswipe drove into the base and into the main command center.

Everybody looked at the silver corvette, it was Sideswipe's form and Sideswipe's engine noise but why wans't he speeding around like Sideswipe does? The front line soldier's door popped open to reveal the reason. Bumblebee walked up to Beth and gently pulled her out so that the frontline soldier could transform,

"How are you?" Bumblebee said through his radio, "Beth Amersham?" his sratchy voice completed the sentence,

"I'm fine thank you Bumblebee, how are you?"

Optimus stomped through the main command centre with William on his shoulder. A sadness pierced her heart, the soldier used to be perched on Ironhide's shoulder, she loved the black weapons specialist, he made her feel safe as a father would his own child,

"We are still trying to find out what happened to Strobe but nothing has come up yet," William said to Optimus Prime.

"I think I may have the answers you're looking for Colonel Lennox," she said from her position in Bumblebee's hand.

Optimus Prime stopped and looked around at the direction the voice came from, the expression on his face went from one of frustration to one of a happiness at seeing the yong woman who fought bravely in their war. Prime smiled,

"Hello Beth Amersham, how are you?" he asked warmly,

"I'm fine," she replied,

"I'll be the judge of that, young lady," a deep serious voice said to her.

Ratchet stood in front of her and fxed his piercing optics on the injured woman, "What are you doing here?" he asked, "You should be resting,"

"I am, I have just come in to help you guys with something,"

Ratchet raised an optic ridge, "Her brother by the name of Aiden Amersham is staying with her," Sideswipe said,

William and Optimus Prime looked at her, "That's the best news I've heard all day," William exclaimed, "Is he at your place now?" he asked the soldier urgently,

"Yes he is," Beth replied, "Why? Is there a prolem?"

"No, it's just that he may have some answers to questions regarding the events around a female Autobot who we rescued," Optimus replied,

Ratchet stepped forward and looked at Beth, "She was very badly injured; some of her injuries are a result of our war but others are a result of human intervention,"

The reaslisation of what she was about to do suddenly hit Beth and she looked down, "Look," she said, "Aiden is all I have and he doesn't know I'm here, if he finds out I've come here to speak to you without him knowing he might think I've betrayed him because he doesn't know about you guys,"

"It will be alright, Beth. We will make sure that he doesn't know you have spoken to us," Ratchet assured the young woman.

Beth sat very quietly as she thought about what she was about to do and the implications it would have on Aiden and herself, "Do you promise?" Beth asked Optimus,

"We do promise Beth" Prime replied sincerely, Beth thought about it again,

"Alright...I will do it," she could almost hear the Autbots heave a sigh of relief from her answer.

Bumblebee carried her over to the walkway and gently placed her on it. She held onto the bars and steadied herself but stumbled in the process. Ratchet quickly placed his hands around her to break her fall,

"Take it easy," he said.

"I didn't know you could move so quickly, Ratchet," she said.

He chuckled as he brought a chair with one hand while holding onto Beth with the other, "There you are my dear, you can sit down now,"

"Thank you, Ratchet," she slowly lowered herself into the chair and sank into as her body slowly relaxed,

"Okay, where to begin," Beth said,

"From the beginning, little lady," Mudflap replied.

Beth shot him a glance before smiling at the cheeky mech, "My brother worked in a secret research institution, which he hasn't named. While he was there he was working on a femme Autobot...a green and black one. She had been there long before he had started working with the company and his boss, Simon Wilson put Aiden in charge of her. Anyway she was experimented on and tortured in a most horrendous way,"

"Oh what a surprise," Bumblebee muttered,

Beth looked at him compassionately before continuing, "Anyway, I'm not quite sure what the events were around her confinement that is something else Aiden hasn't told me,"

"So what_ did_ your brother tell you?" Mirage asked,

"Quit it Mirage, this isn't easy for her," Sideswipe snapped,

"Well, Strobe is injured and_ she_ isn't giving anything away," Mirage jabbed a finger in the air at Beth who scowled at him,

"I don't have to do this, Mirage," she retorted angrily before continuing, "He told me that the female Autobot...is her name Strobe?" Beth asked,

"Yes it is," Ratchet replied,

"Strobe then ...I'll call her Strobe, it's better than female Autobot," Prime smiled at the young soldier, she always had respect for those around her, "Anyway she saw something on the tv and started to struggle against her restraints, Aiden was ordered to try and calm her down with a power surge but she stopped it and sent it back. Strobe escaped and left the research facility. On her way out of the building she grabbed him but he begged her for mercy because he has a young family so she let him go. She was going to kill Simon but didn't because she said she had more important things to take care of . Strobe hid in the forest near Aiden's house. Aiden found her the next morning while he was walking his dog and told her to get out while she could because they were going to hunt for her," Mirage looked up from the position where he was sitting,

"Are you saying your brother helped Strobe?" he asked as he walked toward her,

"Yes he did, the thing is his boss, Simon Wilson wanted to hunt for Strobe and he wanted Aiden to be part of the hunt because he knew what she looked like. Aiden wouldn't hunt for her, he thought it was better to call for help because they didn't know what they were dealing with. Simon told Aiden to join them and threatened to kill him if he didn't. Aiden just carried on walking waiting for the shot. His family are now hiding and he's with me, he believes Simon is after him to kill him,"

There was a stunned silence among the group, William cleared his throat, "Beth, would Aiden take us to the place where Strobe was being held?" he asked,

"I don't know," Beth replied, "He's pretty scared,"

"What if some of us were to go with him?" Optimus asked,

"I guess he would," Beth replied.

* * *

><p>Simon checked in his baggage at the airport and boarded the plane, he sat in his allocated seat and put his seatbelt on. The stewardess was checking that all the passengers and overhead lockers were secure and she came upon the seat where Simon was sitting. His fists were clenched around the end of the arm rests so that his knuckles were white, and his head was pushed back into the head rest. He had beads of sweat on his forehead and he looked petrified,<p>

"Are you alright, sir?" she asked,

"Yes I just don't like flying,"

"Oh, well you'll be alright sir, the pilot is very experienced," she replied and moved on to through the cabin to her seat.

The plane raced along the runway and he felt the sensation in his body as the plane lifted off the ground and banked around. He looked out of the window and nearly yelped at the sight, the wing of the plane was tipped so that it was almost vertical to the ground; he could see the tiny houses and cars scuttling along the web of roadways surrounding the airport. He felt physically sick and he could feel the bile rising in his stomach as he continued to look down, finally the plane straightened out but it didn't help the feeling of nausea in Simon's stomach.

Bing!

The light came on saying it was safe to take off your seatbelts, the sound of the clicking seatbelts echoed through the cabin and people started to move around the aircraft. The stewardess who asked him if he was alright started to serve refreshments to the passengers and came upon Simon's seat again,

"So you survived the take off?" she chuckled,

He looked at her, "Just give me a coffee," he growled.

After the stewardess served the coffee and the trolley was safely anchored away she turned to her colleague,

"I cannot understand why some people insist on flying if they're scared. There are other modes of transport,"

Her colleague chuckled, "Perhaps he needs to get somewhere quickly,"

The rest of the flight was quite uneventful and Simon drifted into a peaceful sleep. He woke up just as the plane started its approach and the pressure was building up in his ears. He pinched his nose, closed his eyes and tried to move the air bubble but it wouldn't budge. Simon heaved a sigh of relief as the plane touched down and taxied to the bay where he would disembark from the aircraft. He could hear the soft voices of the flight staff as they bid everybody a happy stay in Washington and goodbye.

Simon left the hustle and bustle of the airport in Wasington and made his way to a hotel where he booked himself in. He had a look around Washington and the area where Beth lived. At first he thought about not involving Beth but he then decided she could be used to get to Aiden if he refused to co operate.

One of the men rang Charlotte, "He's in Washington," he said,

"Okay, stay on him," Charlotte replied,

"Yes Ma'am," Charlotte sighed, "_Why do people insist on calling me Ma'am,"_

* * *

><p>Beth's phone rang while the Autobots were talking about going to the research facility. She looked up at them,<p>

"Guys, it's Aiden," she replied.

They stood quietly as she answered the phone, "Hello Aiden," she said,

"_Beth, I've just had a call from Simon he's in Washington and he isn't very happy apparantly he knows where I am,"_

"Aiden, calm down," Beth said, "How did he know you were in Washington?"

"_He rang my wife under another name and she told him," _

"Did she tell him where I live?" Beth asked,

"_Yes Beth she did," _the color faded from Beth's face and her heart rate sped up,

"_What are we going to do, Beth?__"_

"Aiden I'm kinda in the middle of something right now, stop panicking and stay where you are, it's safer," she said and hung up,

Optimus looked at Beth, she was pale and looked stressed"What has happened?" he asked,

"Simon is on his way to Washington, Aiden's wife told him where I live,"

A cold shiver ran down her spine as her mind went through the different scenarios which could happen, she could feel her stomach churning and all she could think about was getting back to her brother,

"I need to go home, I need to make sure he's okay,"

"Of course I understand but Beth we can't leave you there alone, we need to consider your safety in this now," Optimus replied,

"I want to go home," Beth demanded through gritted teeth,

"Beth we understand that," Bumblebee replied as he stepped toward her, "But if we let you stay there Simon could get to you"

"Not if I can help it!" Sideswipe snarled, "We're not losing her as well,"

"I agree, Beth if it is alright with you, I'd like you to have a guardian," Prime replied.

Beth laughed, "A guardian, Optimus thank you but I can look after myself,"

"Beth you have helped us and so has your brother, we owe you," Ratchet replied,

"But..." she went to argue,

"No buts," William warned, "If this Simon guy is true to his word than both of you are in danger,"

Beth sighed, "Okay," she replied reluctantly, "So who will be my guardian?" she asked with a smile as she looked at the Autobots,

"I will," Sideswipe volunteered, everybody looked at him.

He looked back at them and Beth, "What?" he said with a shrug, "It's what big brothers do, isn't it?"

"Alright, that's settled then," Prime said,

It was time for Beth to leave the N.E.S.T base, Optimus Prime looked at her gratefully,

"Beth thank you so much for your help, we really appreciate what you have done for us,"

"It's not a problem, Optimus Prime," Beth replied,

"Please, call me Optimus,"

"Thank you," she said, "Optimus,"

Beth yawned as she looked back at the Autobots "I'm really tired now," she said, "I'd like to go home and rest,"

"I'll take you back," Sideswipe offered as he transformed.

Beth scratched her curly hair and looked down at the silver corvette, "Uhmm...Sideswipe, I need to get down," she said,

"Allow me," Ratchet said as he held out his hands,

Beth slowly stood up and grabbed onto Rachet's servo, she felt him place a hand behind her back and gently manouvered it so that she was sitting in his hand and lifted her off the walkway. He lowered his hand and placed her into Sideswipe's passenger seat. Beth lifted her hands as the seatbelt manouvered itself of its own free will, and then Sideswipe's engine roared to life.

Aiden looked around Beth's place, he had to keep her safe, but how was he going to do that when Simon knew where she lived. He sat in a chair absolutely defeated, there was nothing else to do now except to run away, that way Beth would be safe and if he made sure he left a trail Simon would follow it. He rushed around her flat and packed his things before writing a message for Beth. He thought about leaving her a text message but she'd only ring him and try and convince him to stay.

Ratchet walked back to the med bay with Mark and Optimus Prime. Strobe had been in temporary stasis for a long time and he really needed to start bringing her out. The medic checked the work he'd done to her arms and legs one last time before doing a final scan and a diagnositc test, all of which came back as normal. Ratchet looked at Mark and appeared to be thinking,

"Everything alright, Ratchet?" Mark asked,

"Strobe has suffered at the hands of humans, she might cause you harm so I need you to move out of the way,"

Mark obediently climbed into Ratchet's hand and allowed the medic to place him in Optimus Prime's hand. Rachet turned back to Strobe and slowly pulled her back online,

"Nng," she groaned.

Her vision was blurry and she found it hard to focus on anything except the sounds of Ratchet's dulcet tones. Slowly her optics readjusted and Strobe looked around at her surroundings, they were not very familiar, in fact they had a human look about them. A hand rested on her chassis as her spark pulse spiked,

"Its alright, Strobe, calm down. You're in a safe place," Ratchet said to her.

Strobe instantly became calm and lay under the hand that was resting on her chassis and gently holding her down,

"Where am I?" she asked,

"You're in the N.E.S.T base, the new home of the Autobots, we brought you here after we rescued you," Strobe looked around again taking in everything around her. She saw Optimus Prime standing nearby adding to her relief,

"I have done work to your arms and legs I need you to stand up for me," Ratchet said to her as he slid his hand under Strobe's helm.

Strobe slowly sat up with Ratchet's help, he then took both her hands and gently pulled her off the berth. Strobe slid off and buckled but Ratchet caught her,

"Easy," he said, "How do your legs feel?"

"Unstable," she replied,

"Let me have a look,"

She sat on the berth while he checked her leg struts and wires, he made a few alterations and then pulled her off again,

"How does that feel?"

She looked around the med bay, her optics fell on Mark. The femme bot glared at the tiny human,

"Better," she replied, "What's that little squishy doing in here?" she asked defensively,

"Hey," Mark yelled indignantly,

"He's not a squishy, he is a human and my assistant,"

"And you trust him?" she asked,

"I have no reason, not to," Ratchet replied, "He helped me to repair you and did a good job,"

All the time Mark sat in Prime's hand as he took in the scene,

"Okay, I want you to walk for me,"

Strobe walked up to Optimus Prime and looked at the human in his hand, she appeared to be scrutinising him and he felt intimidated by the femme robot,

"Uhmm...hi...," he said uncertainly and held out his hand, "My name is Mark,"

Strobe looked at it and then Mark puzzled, he stopped smiling as he slowly pulled it away. Prime chuckled,

"It's a greeting, Strobe. Humans shake hands as a way of greeting,"

She looked at him again and narrowed her optics, "I appreciate what you did for me but you do not touch me again, squishy,"

Ratchet threw a wrench at her, "We treat humans with respect here," he snapped,

"Well I don't," she retorted and stormed off,

"Where are you going?" Ratchet asked,

"I'm going to find the humans that hunted me and I'm going to kill them all,"

"Strobe no!" Prime bellowed and went after her.

The green femme transformed and sped into the street.

"Oh no!" Prime said quietly.

Sideswipe parked in Beth's bay and helped her out of the car and into her apartment,

"Aiden," she called as she looked around her flat but there was no answer. There was a real sense of foreboding and she started to worry for her brother, "There's no sign of him, Sideswipe," she said as she walked further into the lounge.

Sideswipe ran a quick scan of the flat but he only picked up Beth's signature. On the table a piece of paper fluttered to the floor as a breeze blew through an open window. Beth picked it up and read the contents,

_"To my dearest Beth._

_I'm so sorry to have brought this problem to you please believe me when I say it wasn't my intention. Simon can be very manipulative and that is how he got your address. I am so sorry I have got you involved in this and it is for this reason I have decided to leave." _Beth's breath hitched as she covered her mouth with her hand. Sideswipe walked up to her and put his hands on her shoulders,

"Beth are you okay?"

_"Please don't be mad with me Beth or say I lack faith because I'm doing this to protect you. I am deliberately leaving a path so that he will not use you to get to me. I love you Beth and thank you for listening to me. Take care Beth. Love Aiden._

Beth turned around to look at Sideswipe, tears in her eyes,

"He's gone, Sideswipe. He left me,"

Sideswipe opened his comm link to Optimus Prime while he hugged Beth,

"**Go ahead, Sideswipe,"**

**"Aiden has left Beth's apartment. He is hoping that it will keep Simon away from Beth,"**

**"Well let's hope it works, stay with her Sideswipe but I fear for him because Strobe has also gone t****o find those who have caused her harm. Call me if he returns or contacts her in the meantime myself, Mirage and Bumblebee will look for him during our search for Strobe,"**

"**Yes sir,"**

Ratchet watched Prime as he sat down and massaged his face, the medic walked up to Prime,

"Is everything alright?"

"Beth and Strobe have both gone,"

"Then we'll have to find both of them," Ratchet replied,

"Find who?" Charlotte replied as she walked up to the two Autobots.

* * *

><p>Uh oh!<p>

Poor Beth. I hope Aiden's plan works.


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer; Transformers or any characters relating to Dark of the moon do not belong to me. Beth and Aiden Amersham, Mark and Simon are my own characters.**

**Thank you to everybody who reads my story, puts it on their favorites and alerts and reviewed the story. **

* * *

><p>Chapter 6<p>

In memory of...

It had been raining in Chicago, the dust that was still on the ground from the battle had turned to a silt and it was running into the drains or laying in puddles. Buildings that could be saved were surrounded by scaffolding while others were surrounded by fencing and pulled down. A cold blue light fell over the war torn buildings as people made their way home after their busy days in an effort to try and put their lives back together. The rubble had been pushed into piles and were awaiting clean up, the remains of the Decepticons had been collected and taken to a secure place nobody knew about; not even Optimus Prime and that worried him. The building that had the most damage had become a memorial where people laid flowers to remember those that had died in the attack on the city. It had become a blanket of teddies, ribbons, candles and other items people left to remember those who they had lost. They now lay limp on the pavement after the heavy rainfall.

Optimus Prime had to fight a different battle to take the remains of Sentinel Prime back to N.E.S.T with the the Autobots. His argument being although Sentinel Prime betrayed them and earth he was still an Autobot who was a Prime and he had once been a great leader. Reluctantly the humans allowed the Autobots to have his remains and he was placed in Prime's trailer with Wheeljack so he could be laid to rest with the others.

A green and black SUV drove through the dark streets of Chicago, she had found the holoform programme Ratchet had given her while he was fixing her and dowloaded a human form. Strobe drove silently through the streets of Chicago, looking from side to side in horror at the damage. All this could have been averted if she had been able to get the information to Optimus Prime before she was attacked or even if the humans hadn't held her captive for so long. She would have found Prime. That's what she's good at.

Finding!

All the more reason for those who were hunting her to be afraid.

Very afraid.

The holoform stepped out of the vehicle and stood on a mound of rubble, her long black straight hair dancing in the breeze. She wore dark skin tight jeans and biker boots, a jade green shirt and a black leather jacket with her Autobot logo embossed in the back. Her distinct sapphire blue eyes shone from under the fringe which fell over her forehead. Strobe looked around her at the devastation with great sadness; she may have been imprisoned by some members of the human race but they certainly didn't deserve this. How many lives were lost? She looked down the dark street. It had just sarted to rain again. The puddles rippled as the rain drops landed in them, the street lamps reflected on the wet dark road which disappeared into the ebony darkness of night time.

In the street a blood stained floppy doll lay against the kerb, Strobe got down from the rubble and picked it up. It was tiny which for Strobe meant that this vulnerable race had children. A righteous anger surged through her body as she held it to her chest, squeezed her eyes shut and lowered her head. Where was the child that had once held this doll in tiny hands? Was she alive now? The femme's head was in turmoil, maybe she _should_ go back to the Autobots and learn about this vulnerable race. Her arms fell to her side and she flopped to her knees in defeat. Too many innocent lives had been lost in this city. How could she go out and cause more? Her human eyes fell upon the memorial; Strobe slowly walked over to the blanket of floral display where she stood silently for a while and lowered her head. The femme laid the doll with the flowers and backed away slowly to return to her vehicle.

For Strobe being an Autobot meant protecting those that were vulnerable, that was what she originally signed up for. She joined the Autobots to protect what was precious.

Life.

Freedom.

The right to exist.

She would be no better than the Decepticons or those who had held her captive if she went out to find them for her own revenge.

A roar of jets reverberated around the remaining buildings of Chicago. Strobe looked up into the sky, she knew those signatures anywhere...Thundercracker and Skywarp. Strobe sat in her vehicle form and deactivated her holoform. She had to lead the two Decepticons away from the city, the people of Chicago had been through enough without these two putting in their tuppence worth,

"Hey look, down there," Skywarp said,

"What?" Thundercracker asked,

"I'm picking up an Autobot signature. I believe it's...hey it's slippery fish," Skywarp replied excitedly,

"Yeah, it is," Thundercracker agreed, "But why is she so far from the Autobots,"

"Ah, you know slippery fish, we didn't call her that for nothing. The femme is never seen. She was Megatron's nightmare,"

"Funny, I thought Optimus Prime was Megatron's nightmare," Skywarp replied,

"You know what I mean!" Thundercrcaker snapped,

"No!"

"Let's follow her,"

"We should be searching for the Decepticons, not following her, besides her brother will come after us," Skywarp replied,

"Haven't you heard? Ironhide's dead," Thundercracker retorted,

"Everybody is killing each other, how do we know the Decepticons aren't dead? We haven't heard anything from anybody since we arrived. I think this is a wild goose chase, we need to go home,"

"What and report to Cyclonus we can't find anybody? He will have our afts,"

The two Decepticons made their descent transforming in the process. There was a sound of shifting gears and whining hydraulics as the femme transformed and rose to her full twenty two feet before the two Decepticons landed. She walked towards the seekers and folded her arms across her chest. A stiff wind blew up the street forcing the rain to fall harder, the femme Autobot could hear the sound of the raindrops beating upon her helm and rolling down her protoform. She watched, her eyes narrowed as the seekers landed in front of her,

"What do you want?" she snarled, "Haven't you done enough damage around here?"

Some people who were making their weary way back home after their day saw the red eyed monsters and fled the scene not wanting to get caught in yet another attack,

"Get outta here," one of them yelled waving his fists, "You're not welcome here,"

Strobe was looking at the human,

"Get yourself to safety, I won't harm you but I can't speak for these two," she barked.

Skywarp turned and glared at the brave middle aged man who had now lowered his fists and was looking behind as he ran to safety. Skywarp smirked at the tiny human and then back to Strobe,

"That's not fair, we weren't here," Thundercracker said as he stepped toward her,

"You're Decepticons so you're guilty by association," Strobe retorted,

"Autobots did it too," Skywarp snapped,

"Oh is that right," Strobe replied as she walked toward them dangerously, "The way I see it the Decepticons were destroying yet another world and killing yet another race all in the name of lust for power. That is not the Autobot cause,"

"So why are you here, slippery fish?" Skywarp snarled at the femme bot,

Strobe glared at him, "That is none of your business, Decepticon," she spat angrily, "But I suggest you leave before I call the others,"

"Huh, we'll be gone before they get here and so will you," Thundercracker said as he made a grab for the femme. Strobe jumped back and flipped herself backwards, transformed and drove off down the road before the seekers could say anything else. She found an alleyway and hid there in case the seekers decided to try anything else. Every now and then the femme heard a clang of metal as the seekers threw something across the street in their search for anything which may show the presence of Starscream or his whereabouts, but as the search went on it became more obvious to them that any remains of fallen Decepticons would not be found either because they have retreated or the humans have been very thorough in cleaning up.

Thundercracker growled as he looked at Skywarp, "Where has the glitch gone to?"

"Probably hiding, you know Megatron always call for retreat,"

Thundercracker shook his head, "No, not his time, I have a bad feeling about this. I think they lost this battle,"

An empty void filled Skywarp's spark. What if Thundercracker was right? Lonliness invaded his thoughts.

Cold dark lonliness.

He thought of all the battles he fought beside Starscream, the victory as Optimus Prime and the Autobots fled Cybertron and the subsequent celebration, but this time it looked like Megatron and the Decepticons had fought their last battle. He looked at the blue seeker with empty optics, he could tell by the seekers stance that he was ready to give up. Life wouldn't be the same without Screamer and the others. He stepped towards Thundercracker,

"There's nothing left on this mud ball, let's go,"

Thrusters blew out hot air as the seekers took off from their position. Strobe watched as they took off and left the earth's atmosphere. She felt sorry for them. Everything and everyone they knew from Cybertron was gone, they were defeated but so loyal to an army that no longer existed...well on earth anyway. Her optics slowly dimmed as she fell into recharge.

_Strobe stood by the Cybertronian plains and watched a group of younlings lobbing a ball. Jazz caught the ball and threw it, it flew high into the air and made its pathway toward Ironhide but he was distracted by the green and black femme standing nearby. He smiled at his smaller sister, ran up to her and twirled her around and around,_

"_I haven't seen you for ages, what have you been doing? Look at you, you're all grown up now," he exclaimed_

_A blue femme strutted up to Ironhide elegantly and stood beside the future weapons specialist. Strobe's optics twinkled as she looked at the femme, "Are you going to introduce me to your friend, Ironhide?" _

_The massive black mech turned to Chromia and smiled at her lovingly, "This is Chromia, Chromia meet my baby sister, Strobe," Strobe threw Ironhide a look suggesting she will get him later. Chromia extended a hand to Strobe,_

"_I've heard a lot about you," she said with a smile._

_Strobe suddenly found herself standing before Ironhide and Jazz, the sounds of the battle raging around them. Strobe stood in front of them, she knew what she had to do, Jazz had given her her orders. Ironhide had come to stop his younger sister from joining in the war. He watched as Jazz placed his hand on her shoulder, _

_"You know what to do,"_

"_Yes sir," she replied quietly. Ironhide heard the determination in her voice. She looked at him apologetically and walked toward her big brother, "I have to do this," she said to him,_

"_I know," he replied solemnly and placed a hand on her arm. He pointed to her Autobot symbol, _"_Remember Strobe you're an Autobot and you're fighting for freedom and the right to live. Don't be like the Decepticons and destroy life," suddenly her brother's firm tone disappeared and he grabbed her in a tight hug, "You come back. You understand? Come back!" he cried._

_Tears slid down his cheeks as he watched her slide into her shuttle. Jazz stood behind Ironhide and squeezed his shoulder, "She will come back, she's one of the best I've trained so far," he said but that didn't reassure the weapons specialist._

"_**I love you, sweetspark," **__he said over his bond to her,_

"_**Love you too**__, __**Ironhide**__" she replied,_

Strobe woke up, tears treaming down her face. She knew where she belonged and it wasn't alone seeking revenge, "I love you Ironhide." She started her engine and turned around to return to her new home.

N.E.S.T!

* * *

><p>Charlotte watched as Optimus Prime left with Mirage and Bumblebee before turning back to the group of humans standing next to her,<p>

"Is it possible that Private Amersham will know where Aiden would go?"

"I don't know, Ma'am, we have people looking for him now," Will replied.

Charotte pinched the bridge of her nose and huffed. This was beginning to turn into a nightmare, "When is she due back?" she asked as she took off her took glasses and wiped the corner of her eye,

"She's going to outpatients today, I believe she is expecting them to tell her she can come back on light duties," Will replied. Charlotte nodded,

"I'll speak with her when she returns," Will looked at her, she had a thoughtful expression on her face, "Is she alone?" the director of National Intelligence asked,

"No, Sideswipe is with her at the moment," Charlotte nodded with satisfaction,

"Keep me informed," she said, "I need to go back to my office,"

A soldier raced up the stairs of the catwalk with a piece of paper fluttering in his hand,

"Sir," he said as he shoved the paper under Will's nose. He looked to his left and suddenly stopped, "Sorry Ma'am. I didn't see you,"

"It's alright, carry on," Charlotte replied,

"There have been three sightings of Cybertroninans in Chicago...two cons and one bot,"

"We're not bots," a voice yelled at him but he ignored it,

"Good work," Will replied as the soldier saluted Charlotte before returning to his position. Will turned around and contacted Optimus Prime,

"**Go ahead, Willam," **Optimus said,

"**We believe your femme may be in Chicago, an Autobot was spotted with two Decepticons,"** William said,

Prime thanked the colonel and headed toward the freeway that would lead them to Chicago.

* * *

><p>Beth hadn't slept well all night she had tossed and turned and woke up feeling exhausted and with sore eyes. She trudged into the kitchen and set up her coffee maker before she took a shower. Sideswipe had been worried about Beth and he had spent most of the night awake listening to her moans and muttering. He had fallen into a deep recharge and didn't pick up Simon walking past him heading toward Beth's front door. He looked at the silver corvette parked there and rolled his eyeballs, "<em>Poor little rich kid,"<em> he thought to himself. Beth was now in the shower and didn't hear the door knocking until she switched the shower off and opened the bathroom door. A smell of freshly brewed coffee mingled with the smells from her bathroom. Beth padded back into the kitchen in bare feet and poured herself a coffee before opening the door,

"Coming Sideswipe," she called.

Beth opened the door slightly with a big smile on her face expecting the frontline soldier to be there. The door was suddenly pushed in, Beth screamed and dropped her coffee mug as Simon burst through the door and grabbed the woman by her hair puling her into her flat. He snarled in her ear,

"One noise and I will kill you, understand?" Beth mewled as she nodded,

"Good," he pushed her into her chair and leaned over her. Simon's breath stank of cigarette smoke making Beth feel sick, she looked around for some way of escape but nothing was nearby and the door was locked,

"You're making a mistake," she hissed,

"Where is Aiden?" he snarled,

"I don't know," Beth retorted angrily, "And if I did you'd be the last to know," Simon slapped her hard making the inside of Beth's mouth bleed. Her eyes stung but she forced down the urge to cry,

"You will not be so insolent to me,"

"And you will not hit me again,"

"Where is Aiden?"

"You'll never know," she bellowed loudly,

"Yes I will," Simon grabbed her arm and hauled her up, "You're coming with me, I can use you for collateral," he pulled her toward the door.

Simon was going to open the door, she could use that against him but first she needed to alert Sideswipe and went to make a grab for her phone but he pushed it out of her reach. His arm moved up around her neck as his other hand held her hands behind him,

"Don't try anything, or you're dead!" he snarled.

He opened the door clumsily, it came back and hit her on the head. She growled as a trickle of blood flowed down the side of her face from a hairline cut. The young woman tried to struggle against him but he was too strong. Beth realized they had to get downstairs and that the only way she could escape was to make them both fall. She allowed herself to stumble on the steps and gave out a yelp as pain shot through her body.

Sideswipe woke up with a start at the sound of her yelp, he activated his holoform and raced toward the staircase leading to her flat. Beth looked around her, Simon was nearby and struggling to get up. His face was contorted with pain but that didn't stop him. He reached out his hand and grabbed her ankle, Beth tried to kick him off and struggled to get on her feet but he pulled her down again. Her head was pounding and her body was aching but she could handle that. A hand suddenly wrapped itself gently around her arm and another one under her other arm and she felt herself being pulled up. Sideswipe brushed her curls which had fallen over her face away and asked her if she was okay. She was shaken but nodded. Sideswipe looked at Simon,

"What's going on?" he growled.

Simon stood up slowly and aimed his gun at Sideswipe and then Beth, "Let her go before I kill her," he snarled. Sideswipe stood in front of Beth,

"Then you'll have to go through me and you really don't want to do that," Sideswipe growled back while sending out a call for back up,

"Listen to him," Beth begged, "You will be worse off,"

Skids, Mudflap and Strobe heard him. She set her navigation system to the coordinates the call for back up came from and headed in their direction.

All was calm at the base, everybody Autobot and human alike were at their posts. Robert and William were in the rec room reminiscing about their days with Ironhide and catching up on their family news. Robert was leaned back in a chair with one leg across the other and an arm spread across the top of the couch, while William was leaned back his feet firmly planted on the floor and a mug of coffee in his hand. Suddenly an alarm wailed through the base alerting everybody to trouble. William and Robert jumped up from their seats and raced to the main command centre,

"What's happening?" he yelled.

Ratchet raced up behind them and opened his door, "Sideswipe has sent a call for back up, there is trouble at Beth Amersham's residence," he raced out of the base with the two men inside behind Skids and Mudflap.

Strobe raced along the highway but the traffic was slowing down because of an accident,

"Come on, come on," she growled.

She smoothly switched lanes whenever possible to get through the lines of heavy traffic until she could no longer go any further. Bumblebee was travelling in the opposite direction with Optimus Prime and Mirage when he picked up her signature,

"I've found her," he said to them and slipped off the highway and back on again in the same direction Strobe was travelling in, "She must be making her way back,"

"I hope so, Bumblebee," Optimus Prime replied.

Simon stood in front of Sideswipe, "Put your gun down, sir," Sideswipe said,

"No," Simon snarled, "She comes with me,"

"Now you and I both know that can't happen," Sideswipe replied, "You see Beth can't be out of my sight,"

"Oh is that right," Simon replied dangerously, "And who are you Prince Charming?"

"Some would say that," Sideswipe replied sarcastically, "Now put your gun down,"

"Give me the girl," he snarled,

"Beth," Sideswipe said quietly, "This could turn nasty I want you to slowly move to my car," he looked at Simon, "Beth is going to walk to my car with me, you are not going to try anything while she does. Understand?" he slowly backed away from Simon keeping a watchful eye on the man,

"Loud and clear...," Simon replied and then shot at Sideswipe's holoform, "...Not!"

Beth turned around, "Sideswiiiiiiiiipe," she screamed.

Ratchet raced through the streets his siren blaring. Simon heard the siren and turned to leave but before he did he looked at Beth,

"I will find your brother and when I do he will wish I never did," he yelled as he pointed at her.

Beth rushed for him, "You leave him alone, he's done nothing," she screamed.

"Beth," Sideswipe bellowed, "Get in the car. NOW!" Beth got into his car, Sideswipe left leaving Simon standing in the car park.

Strobe arrived at the car park just as Simon was getting into his car, she couldn't see Sideswipe's signature anywhere but drove around just in case and that's when she spotted _him. _The blonde man who was in charge of her confinement. She stopped her car and activated her holoform,

"Well, well, well, what do we have here," she snarled.

Simon turned around to see who was speaking to him and found a young woman standing behind him with bright, almost alien blue eyes,

"I'm sorry. Do I know you?" he asked,

"Oh you know me, you just don't recognize me," she replied sarcastically.

He looked at her, there was nothing about her that was familiar to him. She took a step toward him, "Give me one good reason why I shouldn't kill you," she snarled,

Simon started to panic and tried to swallow a large lump which had formed in his throat, "Wh...who hired you?" he stammered,

Strobe looked at him and laughed, "Nobody hired me...let's just say a price has to be paid," she said.

Simon looked at her puzzled. Why was this gorgeous looking woman threatening him? What had he done to her? He stepped toward her and pointed a finger at her aggressively,

"I don't know who you are lady so why don't you just go back to your pathetic little life before I do something you regret,"

"Don't you speak to me in that manner you pathetic little man," Strobe hissed. She started to circle him menacingly. Simon never took his eyes off of her as he slowly turned around on the spot, beads of sweat forming on his forehead, "You hurt me, you tortured me and then you sent humans to hunt me down," she narrowed her optics and for a brief moment Simon really felt threatened by this lady as images flashed through his mind,

"Wait a minute...are you teling me you're the one who...,"

"Yes that is exactly who I am," she replied as she turned and stood in front of him,

"But you're...human,"

"Illusion," she stated.

A loud rumble was heard as a peterbilt drove into the car park. Simon and Strobe both turned around and watched as Optimus Prime's holoform stepped out of the cab. Simon hoped that maybe he could call for help but he groaned when he noticed the same bright eyes as the woman standing in front of him,

"Strobe...," his resonant voice barked across the car park, "Stand down," Strobe turned to Prime but ignored him and looked at Simon. Then without warning she grabbed Simon by his collar. He yelped as he found himself inches from her face, her eyes bore holes into him as he felt himself going weak at the knees and falling into a heap. He held onto her hands to try and pull them away,

"Let me go," he hissed. Strobe smirked as she saw him struggle under her hold,

"Strobe!" Prime bellowed again, "You are disobeying a direct command. Stand down!" he stood in front of her, "Strobe let him go we don't harm humans,"

"Remember this. I will be watching you. Insect!" she hissed as she threw him to the ground.

Simon moved backward involuntarily and tripped over a low wall separating the path from the car park. Simon got up and staightened his collar as he watched Strobe stride across to Optimus Prime and disappear. He walked through the car park to his car and sat in it for a while to compose himself.

The Autobot glared at Strobe, "I will speak with you back at the base,"

William and Robert turned up with Ratchet. Mirage recognized the man to be the same one who was with the other men hunting Strobe. He walked over to Strobe and placed his hand on her shoulder. Ratchet saw the man and snarled at him as he turned to Prime,

"He was the man we believe held Strobe and hunted her," Optimus Prime looked at him. William contacted Charlotte and gave her his car registration number and where he was,

"Thank you Colonel," she replied and contacted the two men who were following him.

0o0o0o0o

Beth sat on the bed in the cubicle and listened to the doctor, "I'm clearing you for duty," he said, "Light duties only," he smiled at her and then continued, "That means no battles,"

Beth snorted, "I'm a soldier, doctor, it's what I do," he gruntd as he wrote a note on her files, "I'm sending your commanding officer a personal letter. Don't worry, I do it for every soldier who comes through. Now, let's have a look at this cut on your head," He put on a pair of gloves and gently held her head in his hands, "Hmm, I'm going to ask the nurse to clean it up for you but you don't need stitches. How did it happen? You looked pretty shaken up when you arrived,"

"I'm okay now," she replied, "I fell down the stairs" she knew that wasn't entirely true, she had deliberately made them fall downstairs but the last thing Beth wanted was a big search for her brother only to have Simon find out where he was and lose him completely. She sat silently as she thought about how complicated her life had suddenly become on account of Aiden and she felt a brief resentment toward him. Once she was sorted out Beth made her way to the waiting silver corvette and silently sat in the front seat,

"I've been asked to bring you into the base," Sideswipe said, "Charlotte wants to speak to you and so does Optimus Prime,"

"Why?" Beth asked a little defensively, Sideswipe gave her an "_I don't appreciate your tone,_" look and continued driving silently. She shut her eyes for a brief moment to stop the tears but her eyes burned and the lump in her throat refused to go down. She watched as people walked through the streets of Washington going about their normal daily business. She felt a rough hand touch her own and squeeze it, "It will be alright, Beth, we will find your brother and Simon will be dealt with. Just trust us Beth," the young woman rested her head on Sideswipe's shoulder,

"Thank you," she said quietly.

* * *

><p>Strobe found driving the short distance to the base uncomfortable and caustrophobic. She wasn't a patient femme on Cybertron and driving through Washington was pushing her patience...or lack off to the limit. Ratchet ran a scan on the femme and chuckled to himself when he saw her spark pulse spiking slightly and her systems getting uptight,<p>

"**I see your patience still needs working on, Strobe," **Ratchet said,

"**Pardon? Are you scanning me?"** Strobe replied indignantly,

"**So what if I am,**" he replied. Rachet enjoyed the femme's discomfort and thought about carrying on with the scan until he got a warning from Prime that their relationship with the humans was still fragile and if any accidents were caused it could only make things worse

**"Ha ha, Ratchet's in trouble," **Strobe teased in a sing song way,

**"Let me remind you of the trouble you're in Strobe becasue of the way you treated Simon**," Prime replied

"He deserved it," Strobe replied,

"Aww, Prime is going to have a tough time with her," Mirage said to Bumblebee. Unfortunately Mirage was driving in front of her and when she heard the comment she revved her engine and drove into him lightly touching his bumper,

"Hey," the Ferrari yelled indignantly.

They had to stop again, "What's the problem now?" Strobe snapped as she placed her humanoid hand on the horn and beeped her horn loud and long,

"Calm down," Ratchet barked at her, "You have to go with it. I don't want to have to deal with your fried processor,"

Beth sat opposite Charlotte with a cup of sweet hot coffee in her hand. She didn't normally have coffee this sweet but the Director of National Intelligence insisted saying the sugar would help with the shock from being nearly kidnapped by Simon. Charlotte looked at Beth and took off her glasses, Beth couldn't help but notice how much softer her face was without them,

"Are you okay?" Charlotte asked the young soldier,

"Yes Ma'am," Beth politely replied.

Charlotte opened a file and looked up at Beth,

"First of all I'd like to thank you for the part you played in the battle in Chicago," Beth nodded her appreciation, "Thank you, Ma'am,"

"I have got somebody out looking for Simon now, he seems to be quite an elusive character who up until today had disappeared below our radar. However, I have got somebody onto him now but I would appreciate your co operation into the whereabouts of Aiden. I believe he is your...brother, is that right?"

"Yes it is," Beth took another sip of her coffee,

"Do you know where he is?"

"No, I am worried about him,"

"Yes I can appreciate that. We're doing all we can to find him but we have no leads. Did he say anything to you?" she asked,

"No ma'am, he just left a note saying he had to go to protect me,"

Charlotte pursed her lips and looked down, "Okay," she said, "I'm not going to lie to you, Beth," Charlotte replied frankly, "Aiden was inolved in a very serious incidence. He is not helping himself by disappearing like this. Do you have his cell phone number?"

"Yes I do but he hasn't aswered any of my calls,"

"That's what I feared. I have people out searching for him as well. Contact me if you hear anything,"

"Yes Ma'am," Beth replied.

Optimus Prime arrived back with Strobe and the others who went out with him to locate the femme. The medic opened the door for them and waited until they were safely out of the way before he transformed. Beth left Charlotte's office and made her way through the corridors to the N.E.S.T base slowly. She walked through the double doors and along the walkway to William,

"Beth," he called, "How are you?" he asked,

"I've been cleared for light duties, sir," she replied,

"Okay, you can start tomorrow afternoon, welcome back Amersham,"

"Thank you sir, she replied.

Ratchet disappeared to the area designated as his med bay. The voices of the humans and his fellow Autobots faded as he disappeared from their sight until they were just a faint echo on the walls. He lay on a berth, folded his hands behind his cpu and looked up at the ceiling. He saw a stain caused by some invention Wheeljack was working on and smiled at the memory.

_The engineer walked into the med bay excited by a find, "It's not Cybertronian metal but I'm sure it will work," he exclaimed as he set to work on it. _

Voices echoed through his cpu he'd never hear again; First aid's, Jolt's, Wheeljack's, Jazz and of course...Ironhide's. All fallen comrades.

Loneliness.

That was the only way he could describe it. Not the sort of loneliness you experience when alone. No. This was a unique loneliness brought about by grief which pierced the spark.

"Ratchet?" a femme's voice called behind him, "_How nice it is to hear a femme's voice again," _he thought to himself. Ratchet quickly got up and looked behind him. Strobe stood there; she looked hopeless,

"Strobe," he exclaimed. The femme's faceplates contorted into pain as she burst into tears and ran towards him, throwing herself into his arms. He stroked her back as he soothed her gently clicking and whining quietly,

"I saw them...Ironhide...and J-Jazz while I was recharging," she cried, "A memory from before the war and my first mission,"

He didn't let her go. She needed to cry, she needed to let go of everything that had happened to her, it was the only way she could move on and start a relationship with the humans. Finally her whines and wails had diminshed into sobs as she remained buried in his chest plates. Optimus Prime came into the med bay looking for her and stopped when he saw her with Ratchet,

"**Not now, sir," **Ratchet said. Prime nodded his assent and left,

"I miss them so much," she sobbed, "What happened to them?"

"I will tell you, when you're ready," Ratchet replied quietly. There was a moments pause, "They will always be with you, Strobe, in your spark,"

Strobe moved her head and looked around the room. Apart from the obvious evidence this faclility was once used by humans and is on earth she may as well have been in his med bay on Cybertron, "I'm sorry," she said, "You must think I'm so weak and pathetic,"

"Crying is not a show of weakness or being pathetic. It is grief, Strobe, something which we are all going through at the moment," he replied,

"Can I see them?" she asked,

"Yes, you can. I need to go there myself. I will take you," Ratchet put an arm around her waist and guided her to the back of the base and down into the bunker where those who had died were laid.

It was peaceful in the bunker. Strobe looked around, each mech and femme had their own metal caskets with their names inscribed on the side in Cybertronian glyphs. She heard a click and a dim but warm light shone on the caskets. Strobe gasped when she saw them, there were so many. Jazz, Jolt, Chromia, her best friend...Arcee, Elita.

Gone.

All of them.

Friends she'd grown up with and fought beside. Strobe stood there stoically for a moment as she took in the sight. Memories echoed in her processors of the first time she met Eita when she signed up for the femme army and Chromia when she introduced herself.

Strobe turned to Ratchet who was caught up in his own grief and standing beside Wheeljack. Guilt tore through his spark. He couldn't help his friend, he was held down by a Decepticon. He had no choice but to watch as Wheeljack pleaded for mercy, only to see it go unheard. He looked at each and every Autobot's individual caskets caught up in the memories running through his processors. How many times had he fought to save their lives knowing that one day the war would consume them?

His optics fell on Ironhide, a pang of pain grabbed his spark and rippled through his system. Death was lonely for the old weapons specialist. Had he have known what had happened he would have been there with him, by his side, holding his hand as he had done many times before when his patients knew they were dying,

"Goodbye friend," he said.

Strobe walked up to Ironhide's casket. She placed her right hand over her mouth components as her optics watered while her left hand rested on the lid. A single tear slid down her face as she walked up to him,

"How did this happen?" she asked,

"Sentinel Prime used his acid rust gun," Ratchet replied, "It was then we learned of his betrayal,"

"Rest in peace, brother," she sobbed.

She turned to Ratchet and looked at him solemnly, "This was my fault, I was careless and got shot down, and then caught by humans. They held me for joors. If I could have got the information to Optimus Prime Ironhide would still be alive now and so would Wheeljack. I'm sorry,"

Compressed air hissed through Ratchet's valves as he took her hands in his and looked at her sincerely, "No Strobe, it was not your fault. You were not careless. The Decepticons were far greater in might and numbers. It was only a matter of time before you were caught,"

Strobe looked down, "Ratchet, I don't know how to get through this. I don't know how to cope without Ironhide. He was my whole world,"

"We will be here for you, Strobe. You are not alone. Come, Prime wants to speak to you,"

Strobe took one more look at Ironhide's casket, "Goodbye brother," she said and walked up the narrow staircase slowly and solemnly.

* * *

><p>Can Strobe learn to trust the humans?<p>

More coming after Christmas.

Merry Christmas to everybody who reads my story.


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer; I do not own anything from transformers at all. I have OC's in this story.**

* * *

><p>Chapter 7<p>

Don't judge a book by its cover.

Beth sat opposite Optimus Prime as he spoke to her about the possibility or rather the improbability of her staying in her apartment until Simon was well and truly behind bars and Aiden was found safe. The young soldier didn't want to stay in the N.E.S.T base, she enjoyed the privacy and freedom her own apartment offered her, but it was the only way Optimus Prime was going to have it. He had told her she fought bravely during the battle in Chicago and he felt he had an obligation in keeping her safe.

Beth thought about arguing with the Autobot leader or trying to defend her right to live away from the base, and convince him she would be okay as long as she had Sideswipe with her but he gave her a look which told her he was having none of it,

"I have lost too many friends and loved ones, Beth, I don't want to see you hurt anymore than you have been," he replied solemnly,

"Yes, but Optimus Prime...I only live a few blocks away...,"

"It is a few blocks too far from us as far as I'm concerned, you were lucky Sideswipe was there," Optimus Prime replied.

Beth sighed and run her fingers through her curls, there was no way the Autobot leader was going to budge on this and conceded defeat, "Alright Optimus Prime," she replied, "You win, I'll stay on the base,"

Prime leant forward a little bit so he was eye to eye with the young woman,

"It's not about winning, Beth, it's about keeping you safe," he held out his hand, "Come, I'll take you back to Sideswipe," Beth stood up and settled herself into the palm of Prime's hand,

"Can I at least fetch some of my belongings?" she asked the giant Autobot,

"Not without your guardian,"

Now Beth was angry "_Guardian!...since when have I had to have a guardian? __I'm a soldier for goodness sake,"_ She suddenly felt like she had become property of the Autobots and shot a look of resentment toward Prime, but he chose to ignore it and continued to take her to the rec room where Sideswipe was with Strobe, Mirage and Bumblebee.

Strobe stood between Mirage and Sideswipe who were speaking to her about earth customs. They all had a cube of energon in their hands and stood to the far side of the room. She looked up when she saw the Autobot leader walk into the room carrying the tiny human female. The green and black femme noticed a slight familiarity with the human in Prime's hands but couldn't think where it came from. She looked at Beth and searched through her data banks for the few humans she'd come across. After several attempts she had a perfect match with one of those who were holding her in the installation. She glared at Beth and narrowed her optics threateningly, Beth felt intimidated by the femme and slunk in Prime's hand, Sideswipe saw Beth's reaction to Strobe and wondered why she was behaving in such a strange manner. Mirage followed Sideswipe's gaze to Beth. He looked back at Strobe and kicked her,

"Leave the human alone,"he snapped, "She's done nothing to you,"

"She hasn't but she looks like somebody who has," Strobe snarled quietly while looking at Beth contemptuously.

"Strobe," Optimus Prime bellowed, "Many of the humans here have fought beside us in a war that doesn't belong to them, Beth was one of them and she nearly died. These people are our allies and deserve to be treated with respect...from all of us!" he stated firmly while glaring at her.

Strobe stood in front of the Autobot leader and then looked at the tiny human in his hand. She narrowed her optics, Beth looked up at the green and black femme and hid behind Optimus Prime's massive fingers,

"Pfft,"

Strobe waved her hand dismissively at Beth, okay she had to respect the tiny organic but she didn't have to like her. She was part of an inferior and cruel species. Optimus Prime walked toward Sideswipe and gave Beth to him,

"Sideswipe, you are her guardian now, she may not need protecting from Decepticons but there are humans on this earth who behave like Decepticons. Beth has agreed to stay on the base but she wants to go back to her home to pick up some of her belongings,"

Beth scowled at the reference to Sideswipe being her guardian but the Autobots weren't going to listen to her. It was almost like now that they had defeated the Decepticons they saw themselves as king pins and could do what they wanted, "_Huh that's what they think!" _Beth thought to herself. She coughed politely, Optimus Prime looked at her,

"If you don't mind Optimus Prime but I am a soldier and I think I can protect myself from one human. It's not like he's...,"

Optimus Prime's face softened, he was once a youngling who believed himself to be young and invincible. Not that Beth was a youngling because she was far from it by human standards. She had fought bravely alongside them and if protecting her from some rogue human was a way they could protect her and repay her for the sacrifice she made then that was how they were going to do it.

Sideswipe looked at her, "No can do Beth the game has changed, besides you yourself have said we are your family and families live with each other," he replied with a big smile.

Beth looked down, a pained expression on her face, "_Why did her brother get involved with these people," _she thought sadly. She hadn't fought with the Autobots just to have one of them carting her around everywhere because of Simon.

Strobe watched her curiously and cocked her head, she felt sorry for the human. Beth looked up slowly at Sideswipe,

"I'm not going to get out of this am I?"

Sideswipe shook his head. He couldn't help but feel sorry for her, being a soldier himself he knew what she was feeling, especially after coming against the Decepticons. One human shouldn't make much difference to her but this man was dangerous and deceitful. In the eyes of an Autobot...the characteristics of a Decepticon,

"Come Beth, I'll take you to your apartment" he said as he put her down.

William Lennox walked into the rec room with a smile. Optimus Prime's hydraulics hissed as he got down to the Colonel's level,

"Colonel William Lennox, how are you?"

A look of sadness crossed his face, "You know, I have good days and bad days, I miss him terribly,"

"We all do," he said as he looked at Strobe, "He was Strobe's brother,"

Strobe dropped to the ground and looked at William, "You knew my brother...Ironhide?"

"Yes," William replied, "He became my guardian and one of my most trusted friends. It was an honor to know him and serve with him,"

Strobe put her head down as she tried to fight back the tears, here was a human paying tribute to her brother. These organics appear to be ...sentient, not heartless killers as she first thought. Strobe decided she was going to do all she could to get to know this man, Ironhide would have wanted that.

William turned back to Optimus Prime, "I believe we may have found where Aiden is hiding,"

Beth turned quickly in Sideswipe's hand, "You found my brother?"

William looked up at Beth, despite she was so high he heard the hopefulness in her voice and knew she had an expression to match. He shook his head sadly,

"No we just found where he is living," he replied,

"Oh," she replied quietly,

"Well please let me know when you find him,"

"Don't you worry, when we do you'll be one of the first to know," Wiliam assured the young soldier,

"Thank you" she replied, her voice laced with disappointment.

* * *

><p>Sideswipe slid through the washington traffic with ease and made his way to Beth's apartment. Beth enjoyed watching the jealous looks of young women who would have done anything to be sitting next to the good looking young man in the shiny silver Corvette. She smirked to herself, little did they know the nice looking young man was actually a seventeen foot alien robot. When Beth looked up at her apartment it looked the same as she had left it when Simon dragged her out. Beth turned to Sideswipe's holoform,<p>

"Will you come up with me?"

The frontline warrior looked at her and frowned slightly, "Sure," he replied and unbuckled himself to get out.

They walked up the stairs to Beth's apartment together quietly but stopped just by the entrance.

The door to Beth's apartment had been jemmied and left ajar. Sideswipe moved to the front of her and stood to the side of the door frame. He slowly pushed the door open, it squeeked as it swung on its hinges and stopped when something jammed underneath it. Beth went to move around him but he put his hand out,

"Not yet, Sweetspark," he said, "We don't know if whoever did this is still inside,"

A door opened opposite hers to reveal a young woman and a blonde curly haired toddler with a filthy face and dirty nose on her hip. The mother looked tired and her blonde hair was shoved on the top of her head in a messy bun. She looked at Sideswipe who was dressed in a pair of tight black jeans, a deep crimson shirt which was unbuttoned at the top, a pair of black Italian leather shoes and a black jacket. His hair was jet black and spiked and a gold chain with the Autobot symbol hang around his neck. She smiled at him approvingly,

"There is nobody in there," she said in an English accent, "I rang the police but by the time they got here he was gone,"

The toddler started to whine so the young woman jiggled her up and down impatiently, her blonde curls bobbing up and down.

"Who?" Beth asked,

"I don't know, I daren't open my door but they woke Lilly up," she turned to the toddler, "Didn't they beautiful," The woman raised her voice a little higher as she spoke to her child.

Lilly didn't do anything else but wiped her nose with the back of her hand smearing the contents across her face. Sideswipe cringed in disgust, Beth had a tissue and handed it to the woman,

"Thanks," she said gratefully.

The woman went to shut her door but opened it again and looked at Beth, "By the way the police are looking for you. They want to ask you some questions,"

"Thanks," Beth replied she went to shut the door again but Sideswipe asked her a question,

"You said they. How many were there?"

"I don't know, but there was more than one. I could hear them talking I don't think they were planning on vandalling your apartment, I think they were interested in taking you. If I were you Beth I'd stay away for a few days, the police can question you wherever you are," a cold shiver ran down Beth's spine.

Beth stepped in carefully so she didn't tread on anything, the place was worse than she had left it. The lounge suite had been turned up and the cusions were shredded, drawers were pulled out and paper was thrown onto the floor, her laptop was missing and so was a memory stick. The picture of Aiden and Beth was still in its place but somebody had scribbled across the glass so Aiden's face was gone.

Beth stood in the middle and looked around in disbelief, her face was pale and her eyes were moist, "Who are these guys?" she asked.

Sideswipe comforted her, "Get some of your belongings quickly," he said quietly, "They could come back."

Beth moved to her bedroom, her bed covers had been thrown back and her clothes were all over the floor and the drawers thrown on the bed. Her bible was still in its place and untouched, the young woman heaved a sigh of relief, it was her most treasured possesion. Beth slowly gathered up what she could and placed it into a small case, sniffling every now and then. A smile came to her face as she thought of Ironhide and what he'd be doing right now and it wasn't standing around for too long. Beth looked at Sideswipe,

"I'm ready," she said.

They walked through the apartment, Beth turned around and took one more look at it before she left. She couldn't get to the security of Sideswipe's corvette quick enough and once inside she felt a whole lot safer,

"That was horible," she moaned as she covered her face with her hands and massaged it,

"Are you alright?" Sideswipe asked,

"Oh well what do you think?" Beth snapped sarcastically. Sideswipe raised his eyebrows and looked at the road ahead, "I'm having a really fantastic day, first I find out I have to be looked after by you and then I go back to my flat to find out its been ransacked. All that after I met Strobe for the first time,"

Sideswipe looked away from the road to look at Beth. She scowled at him,

"Why are you looking at me, you're driving you should be looking at the road,"

Now Sideswipe was angry, "Hey listen to me, first of all I'm not exactly happy about being a guardian to you, secondly I'm a far better driver than you'll ever be and thirdly I will not be told what to do by a whiny little organic. Have I made myself clear?"

Beth pouted and looked out of the passenger side window,

"Answer my question, "Have I made myself clear?"

She turned back to Sideswipe, his blue eyes watching her angrily, "Yes," she snapped back,

"Yes what?" Sideswipe barked,

"Yes Sideswipe," Beth hissed through gritted teeth,

"Good," he replied.

An angry silence settled in the car as Sideswipe continued driving through Washington and pulled into the base. Soldiers were standing in the doorway joking and messing around. Mark was given some time off from his duty in the med bay and he had joined them. He saw Beth,

"Woah who upset her?" he asked his mate Joe.

Sideswipe transformed and left her standing where she was.

Joe looked at Sideswipe and then Mark and smirked, "I'd say those two had a bad start,"

Mark being the gentleman he was walked up to Beth and held out his hand, "Do you wanna hand with that?"

Beth looked at him, she had seen him before but not so close. He was rugged with short brown hair and kind eyes which were smiling at her, "Thanks," she said.

Mark took her bag and they slowly walked through the base,

"You're the one helping Ratchet, aren't you?...Mark,"

"Yes I am, what happened back there?"

Beth looked at him and then the direction Sideswipe went in, she felt guilty for speaking to him the way she did and wished she could make it up to the Autobot by apologising but her pride wouldn't let her...not yet anyway. She shrugged her shoulders,

"It's nothing," she replied sadly,

"It doesn't sound like nothing," he replied.

Beth looked at him and scowled, "You know what I'll take my own bag," she replied and snatched the bag from him.

Joe was following behind them, he laughed, "Woah you struck out there buddy,"

"Shut up," Mark hissed as he watched Beth strop off to the quarters where she slept last night.

Beth punched in her code and waited for the door to open. She heard it hiss as it closed behind her automatically and growled, "_I can't even slam the door here,"_ she thought to herself,

She sat down quietly on the end of her bed, rested her elbows on her knees and supported her chin in her hands as she bent over. A tear rolled down her face and plopped on the floor. Somebody knocked on her door,

"Go away," she snarled,

"Beth," William called.

Beth looked up and wiped her eyes as she opened her door, "I'm sorry sir,"

Beth tried hard to hold back her rebellious tears tears but this time they weren't going to comply. She burst into tears when she saw William's concerned face,

"Sideswipe told me what happened, are you okay?"

Beth couldn't say anything, all she could do was stand there and cry. She felt so pathetic and wished the Colonel would just go away. William hugged her as he stood there waiting for her to finish crying. He stroked her curls and comforted her but the tears wouldn't stop coming,

"I don't know why he did it," she cried,

"He was probably looking for something, Sideswipe said that the mess suggested a very systematic search," Beth nodded, "I have just a couple of questions to ask; did he access your laptop and was there anyting on the laptop to suggest you work for N.E.S.T?"

"No sir," she replied, "Nothing at home suggests N.E.S.T,"

The reply was nothing of a surprise to William, Beth was always concious about security when it came to matters with the Autobots and N.E.S.T. She had become one of the most trusted memebers of the team who would be sorely missed if ever she chose to leave. Not that William could ever see her doing that, she once told him life would become an anticlimax if she ever left N.E.S.T or the Autobots.

Strobe was walking past the human department of the N.E.S.T base on her way to the Optimus Prime's office. She heard Beth crying and William comforting her and stopped to watch the interaction puzzled by the show of emotion. She heard footsteps stop behind her,

Strobe cocked her head to the side, "It's called crying, it's the way human's show their emotion,"

Strobe turned around to find Sideswipe behind her, "It's almost like us," she replied, "What happened?"

"It's a long story," he replied.

Strobe raised an eyebrow ridge, but Sideswipe shook his head,

"Beth is a private woman and the issue is very sensitive, especially for her," Sideswipe replied,

Strobe looked back at her, her body jolted with every sob as she continued to cry into William's shoulder. She then continued her walk to Optimus Prime's office confused by what she had seen.

* * *

><p>Aiden had found a dingy apartment block and rented it from the landlord, it was a far cry from Beth's upmarket apartment but it would do until he could sort things out. He was on the fifth floor and he had to climb a dark creaky staircase and walk along a dark corridor before he got to his front door. The walls were split by a dado rail and they were painted off white on the top and bottle green on the bottom. There wasn't a carpet on the floor, only a white lino which looked like it had seen better days and was quite grubby.<p>

The room itself was dark and smelt of stale cigarette smoke, across the window were heavy dark brown curtains which shut out the bright morning sunlight. The walls were a cream colour with a brown carpet which had holes and looked chewed in the corners...possibly by mice, Aiden hoped. On the first night Aiden lay on his back on the mattress with his hands under his head and his knees bent. He looked around the apartment once more and wondered about his wife and family and how he ended up in this situation.

It was a week later when the alarm went off again, he got up and put his shoes on, the thought of walking across the well worn carpet made him cringe. The young man threw the curtains back allowing the bright morning sunlight to shine into the apartment giving a false sense that everything was alright when it wasn't, he wanted to open the window to allow fresh air to circulate through the apartment but the windows were locked. Aiden remembered the long list of rules the landlord had listed to him sourly the night before one of which was no open windows. It was an apartment which attracted high roberies although he couldn't see why, there wasnt much to steal. He could hear the angry voices of a man and a woman who were arguing...again, in the distance a baby was screaming and in competition with the TV that was blaring out.

Aiden walked to the fridge and pulled out the milk to make himself a cup of coffee. He had brought the milk and other groceries when he first arrived but his cupboards were now getting bare. He ran his hands through his mop of curly hair and massaged his developing beard in the hope that it would be a good disguise. He really needed to go shopping but money was getting low and he'd have to start using the credit card. His thoughts wondered back to his wife and family again, he missed them dearly and it was about time he went back to them. _If_ he could do it without Simon knowing where he was going.

Aiden made his way to a coffee shop before doing the shopping. He picked up his cell phone and switched it on. There was a message from his wife,

"_Hi darling. How are you, I'm really missing you, when are you coming back? Please come back soon, Chloe keeps asking me where you are? What can I say to her because I don't know. I don't even know if you're alive," _there was a sniff which Aiden assumed his wife was crying.

He snapped his phone shut and looked at the coffee cup, the chocolate on the froth of his cuppocino had started to melt. Aiden picked up a sugar lump and hang it over the cup for a while before letting it go and watching it plop into the chocolate leaving a white square. He looked out of the large cafe window and watched the people as they went about their daily business. It was a clear sunny day with a strong wind; shadows fell on the street below the tall buildings making the street look colder than it already was. One woman walked past the window in high heeled boots and a shoulder bag held on her shoulder, her long black hair was dancing around her head in the wind which played with the belt on her coat and whipped off an old man's hat. Aiden smiled as a younger man picked the hat up and gave it back to its owner. He averted his gaze back to his coffee cup and picked up a spoon to stir it.

The young man knew he couldn't spend the rest of his life running away from Simon; he desperately wanted everything to go back to what it was before Strobe, Simon, the new job. For the first time it what seemed like years he bowed his head and prayed to God for help. A gentle peace flowed over him and through him bringing with it a restful reassurance that everything was going to be alright and that he would be safe.

After a while he decided to ring his wife and make his way to the shop before heading back home. He didn't notice a waiter hanging around nearby or the two men in suits sitting in the dark corner waiting to hear from the waiter. He drank his coffee, paid the waiter and walked outside, pulling his coat around himself to block out the cold Autumn wind.

Charlotte was sitting in a meeting when her phone vibrated, she sighed as she looked at it and then looked up at the person leading the meeting,

"I'm sorry, I have to take this," she said as she got up and walked out of the wooden doors to the conference room.

She walked a long way from the doors before starting a conversation with the caller,

"Charlotte Mearing here," her voice held a no nonsense tone, "Uh huh, yep, hmm. Follow him. Do not let him out of your sight. I'll send somebody to pick him up," she hang up the phone and rang N.E.S.T,

"We have found Aiden," she announced,

Aiden brought his groceries and made his way home, he walked up the stairway and opened the door to find Simon sitting in a chair in the apartment,

"Boo!" he said sarcastically

Aiden looked at him and frowned, "How did you find me?" he asked.

Simon shrugged and looked around the apartment, "My my you have gone down in the world, Aiden," he walked up to the young man and looked him over, "Couldn't imagine you living in a place like this. I'm sure your soldier girl sister wouldn't be happy to see you here,"

"You leave my sister out of this, it has nothing to do with her,"

"Oh but it does, you involved her the minute you turned up on her doorstep,"

"It's a shame she couldn't tell me where you were," he raised his eyebrows and looked around the apartment once more, "And now she's...well who knows where she is."

Simon smirked as Aiden's expression turned into one of fear, "What have you done to her?" Simon shrugged his shoulders, "What do you want off me? I will do whatever you want,"

Simon shook his head, "Aiden, Aiden, Aiden, it's not what I want but what I wanted. You're too late, you should have joined us in the hunt and then Beth would have been safe today,"

Aiden placed his bags on the table and looked at Simon, his fists clenched in anger, "Get out!" he growled, "Get out of my apartment...before I ring the police."

Simon stood there smirking at him, believing he had the upper hand. Aiden pulled his cell phone out of his pocket and dialled the number for emergency services. Simon scowled at him,

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," he snarled,

"Well you're not me, now get out," Aiden retorted angrily.

The phone stopped ringing and a reassuring voice called out over the other end of the line asking Aiden which emergency service he wanted. Aiden requested the police. Simon lunged for the young man now desperate to stop his call but Aiden jumped out of the way.

"Police, a man is in my apartment being aggressive and refusing to leave," Aiden screamed down the phone.

Simon chased Aiden around the apartment and out of the door. Aiden raced down the stairs and fell but managed to get grab the hand rail. He cried out in pain as he felt his shoulder rip out of its joint but got up and contined running. In the distance he could hear sirens but they were still a long way off and he hoped that he could get away from Simon but the blonde man was agile and fit and he was gaining on Aiden,

"Get here you little...," Simon snarled.

William and Beth were in the rec room, the soldier had calmed down and she was talking to the Colonel over a cup of coffee. Her fingers were clasped and she was twirling her thumbs around each other subconciously. Beth used to do this quite frequently as a child when she was stuck in a situation she couldn't cope with, it had stopped when she was accepted into the army. When she looked down she quickly sat on her hands and closed her eyes, "_Stop it, Beth," _she willed herself, "_Everything is going to be fine, just stop it." _She pulled her hands out and picked up her coffee cup; at that moment Sideswipe walked in. Beth looked at him and then quickly looked away. She felt guilty for speaking to him the way she did, he was only asking her if she was okay and he didn't deserve to be spoken to in that manner, especially after he protected her from Simon.

William's cell phone went off, "Excuse me," he said as he looked at it. Charlotte's name was on the screen,

"Beth I'm sorry I need to take this," he walked out leaving the young soldier sitting there alone.

Beth looked around the rec room, Sideswipe stood in front of a window while he was drinkng an energon cube. Beth watched him carefully, if she was going to apologize to him then now would be a good time. Beth slowly rose out of her seat and walked toward him, it was only a short way but it seemed to take forever to get across the floor. The thud of her army boots seemed louder than usual on the hard concrete flooring. She looked up at him, a pained expression was on his face and his sapphire blue optics looked dull, almost sad. Beth swallowed as she slowly put out her hand and went to touch his leg but she quickly pulled away as he looked down at her,

"Beth," he exclaimed,

"I...uh...," Beth looked down nervously, she needed to apologize to the mech but she couldn't seem to muster the courage to say anything to him. She swallowed and looked up at him again, her eyes watering.

"I'm sorry," she said.

The soldier looked at her and raised an eyebrow ridge in a sarcastic manner. Beth looked down and waited for him to say something but instread she heard a hiss as air passed through his valves, it was warm and smelt metallic. For a minute the warrior didn't do or say anything but then he smiled and bent down to pick her up,

"You didn't deserve the way I spoke to you, I'm so sorry," she replied.

He gently pushed some curls which had fallen over her face behind her ear and pulled her in to hug her,

"How could you hold that squishy little creature," Strobe's voice snarled,

Sideswipe looked up, she was leaning against the doorway looking at the scene in disgust. Sideswipe placed a hand behind her and glared at the femme standing in front of him,

"You're supposed to be with Optimus Prime," he said,

"I couldn't find him," she replied,

"I'm here now, my office," Prime said.

Bumblebee raced up to Optimus Prime, "Optimus,"

Prime turned around at the urgency with which the yellow scout had called him,

"What's the matter, Bumblebee?"

"Aiden has called the emergency services for help, he's in trouble. It sounds like it could be Simon,"

"Take Sideswipe with you and go and rescue him," Optimus said,

"Sideswipe," Optimus Prime called.

The frontline warrior looked at Beth, "Can I come?" she asked hopefully,

"No," Sideswipe replied, "I need you to stay here where you'll be safer,"

"But...," she went to argue,

"No buts, Beth. We are rescuing Aiden we don't want to put you in danger too," he picked up Beth and took her to her room where he bent down and held her face gently with his servos, "Stay here, Beth, you'll be safer,"

Sideswipe and Bumblebee left Beth standing by her door and took off toward the coordinates Bumblebee had picked up from Aiden's call.

* * *

><p>Aiden raced through the alleyway that led from his apartment to the road tipping garbage cans as he went in the hope Simon would fall over them, but when he looked behind he was still in pursuit. Aiden didn't know how long he could keep it up for, he could see the alleyway open to the street and forced himself to keep going. Sweat was pouring off his forehead and his shirt was soaked, he was panting heavily and beginning to slow down. As the young man raced onto the street he screamed for help. At that point a yellow camaro swerved in front of him while a silver corvette blocked Simon from escaping the alleyway. Simon was preparing himself to launch onto the corvette,<p>

"Don't even think about it," Sideswipe snarled stopping Simon dead in his tracks.

The door to the Camaro swung open revealing a blonde man in his late tweties, "Get in!" he barked at Aiden.

The young man jumped into the Camaro which drove off closely followed by Sideswipe leaving Simon to the fate of the black SUV's who were surrounding him.

* * *

><p>So what will happen with Aiden and Simon now?<p>

Will Strobe change her attitude toward the humans?

More coming soon.


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer; The transformers characters in this story belong to Hasbro and Michael Bay. I own Beth, Aiden, Strobe and Simon.**

* * *

><p>Chapter 8<p>

From bad to worse.

Bumblebee and Sideswipe drove into the base where the yellow Camaro released the seat belt from Aiden and opened the door. Aiden looked at Bumblebee's holoform,

"Thank you," he said,

"You're welcome," Bumblebee replied in his scratchy voice.

He stood alone and looked around him; the first thing that grabbed him was the spaciousness of the base, it was just like he was standing in a massive open warehouse. He heard the sound of shifting metal and clicking gears behind him and turned around to see what could be making that noise. He watched in horror while the two vehicles split themelves, metal shifted, parts folded away and other parts emerged. He craned his neck as they grew in height, his mouth open in half shock and half surprise.

Beth was in her room when there was a knock at her door, "Hello," she called,

"Beth, it's me...Mark," he called.

Beth quickly put on her jeans she was holding, a plain black figure hugging t shirt and trotted to the door, her brown curls bobbing with the movement. She punched in the code and saw him standing there with a pink rose in his hand. Beth's face broke into a smile,

"Sorry," he said, "I got a little pushy. It's an unfortunate flaw in my character...courtesy of my father's genes,"

Beth giggled quietly and took the flower, "I'm the one that should be apologising. It wasn't your fault," she replied happily.

There was a moment of silence, Mark put his hands in his pockets and looked at her with a half smile "Bumblebee and Sideswipe have brought back Aiden. He looks like he could use a familiar face right now,"

"Thank you," Beth replied.

She quickly slipped on a pair of sandals and followed Mark down the hallway. They walked into the main command area together to find Aiden with the two Autobots standing in front of him,

"Aiden," she called.

Relief flooded the young man as he turned around at the sound of her voice. Beth let out a burst of laughter and covered her mouth, "What have you done?" she asked,

"I know I know, Jennifer did the same thing the last time I grew a beard," he sighed

"Why did you grow it?" Beth asked as she walked up to him and inspected it, "It looks awful on you"

"Thanks," he replied sarcastically, I was hoping to disguise myself...," he didn't get any further through Beth's laughter.

"Sorry Aiden, it's just that it doesn't suit you and you need more than a beard for a disguise,"

Mark stepped in to defend her brother, "Leave the poor guy alone," he looked at Aiden and offered his hand, "My name is Mark, I work here,"

"Aiden...Aiden Amersham," Aiden said as he took Mark's hand and shook it,

"Pleased to meet you but I have to go now. I'm rostered on to work with Ratchet in the med bay,"

"Ratchet?" Aiden asked,

"Yeah, he's the CMO to the Autobots. Nice guy," Mark replied,

"Huh," Sideswipe snorted, "That's what you think, wait until he has to treat you one day,"

An image of a tiny human laying on Ratchet's berth with the huge medic standing over them entered Beth's mind, she shook her head, "_Nah!"_she thought and giggled. Sideswipe rolled toward them making Aiden back away and hide behind Beth,

"He won't hurt you," she said, "You've met him before,"

Aiden looked at her puzzled, "I have? When?" There was a buzz and Aiden felt a tap on his shoulder. He turned around to find the warrior's holoform looking at him,

"You came to visit Beth just after she left the hospital," he looked at both of the figures before him,

"I'm Beth's guardian now since all the trouble with Simon,"

Aiden looked at Beth and felt ashamed, "I should have been there for you. I'm sorry,"

Beth shrugged her shoulders, "You did what you thought was best, I'm grateful Sideswipe was there," the mech turned to her and smiled at her.

Aiden went to move his left arm and flinched. Beth noticed it, "Are you okay, Aiden?" she asked,

"Yeah," he replied, "I pulled my shoulder and it's a bit painful,"

"You need to see the medic," Beth replied.

Aiden suddenly became alarmed, "Not Ratchet," he said, "I'd rather take my chances treating it myself...," For the second time that morning Beth burst into laughter,

"No silly," she replied, "A human medic,"

A harsh voice rang out through the base, "Aiden Amersham, we finally get to meet," a middle aged woman stood in front of him with thick rimmed black glasses and her blonde hair pulled pulled away from her face in a pony tail. She wore an official looking uniform and had swapped her black high heeled shoes for trainers. She held out her hand, "Charlotte Mearing, Director of Intelligence. I believe you have some answers to questions we have,"

Aiden looked at her and took her hand to shake it, "I'd give you my name but you obviously know it...Ma'am," he replied.

Everybody waited for Charlotte's outburst at being called Ma'am but it never came, "There is a lot we know about you"

"Oh really," Aiden laughed.

"Aiden," Beth said in a warning tone. Aiden's smile disappeared and he looked at her,

"Sorry, Ma'am,"

"Your apologies are accepted she said in an official tone, you will stay here and we'll have a later. I have to leave to return to my office,"

* * *

><p>Strobe sat opposite Optimus Prime, he was every bit as good looking as the day Elita introduced her to him as her spark mate,<p>

"How are you, Strobe?" he asked,

She looked at him, a sad expression on her face, "Optimus Prime I'd like to say everything is fine but it's not. My brother is gone, my home is gone and I find myself living with a race who treated me with hostility, used me for experiments and tortured me,"

"I know but these humans here are different, they too are mourning the loss of their comrades as well. One of them, William Lennox, was very close to your brother; he too is mourning the loss of Ironhide,"

She looked down, "I see,"

"Strobe, we have a fragile relationship with the humans at the moment but we have been allowed to stay on earth as refugees because Cybertron is now gone. Many of them do not know of our existance and others who do know feel threatened by us and they would rather we weren't here at all. I need you to remember that and not let your prejudices get in the way of forming a relationship with them,"

Forming a relationship!

Strobe was disgusted at the thought. How could he expect her to form a relationship with this species? They were small, cruel and violent. She looked at Optimus her optics cold and hard, "No Prime! I will not form any relationship with these creatures,"

Optimus Prime pinched the bridge of his nose; this was going to be an even greater problem than he thought. He looked at her with a stern look on his face,

"As long as you are here you _will_ form a relationship with the humans...,"

"No I will not!" Strobe bellowed at him as she stood up,

He stood up in front of her, "Sit down!" he barked, his baritone voice reverberating around the walls of his office.

Ratchet was in the med bay going through data pads of notes he'd made on human medicine he'd started studying after Mission city, and now that they were in a peace time he thought he could continue with it. He would answer quesions Mark had about Cybetronian medicine but the young human knew very little about human medicine so he would often speak to the human medics and doctors about things he'd learned. He smiled at the sound of Optimus Prime's and Strobe's voices, it was just like old times on Cybertron when she had many of her clashes with other Autobots. She'd never spoken to Optimus Prime like this, though.

"She's giving Prime a hard time," he said,

Mark looked up from a data pad Ratchet had given him to read, "She sounds a bit strong willed,"

Ratchet looked at him, that was an expression he never heard before, "Strong willed?"

"Have you never heard that before?" he asked,

Ratchet looked at him, Can't say I have,"

"Oh it means determined to get what they want despite opposition." He watched Ratchet's optics brighten,

"Certainly strong willed," he replied with a chuckle, "She always has been, ever since I can remember,"

"Who will win?" Mark asked as he looked in the direction of the angry voices floating up the corridor,"

"Optimus Prime will. She will have to bend to his authority eventually even if he has to frog march her to the brig himself,"

Mark had a vision of this giant femme being frog marched to the brig by an even more giant father figure, and chuckled as he picked up the data pad Ratchet had given him to work on.

Strobe looked at Prime with a determination that was rapidly waning, "Now," he said firmly, "Beth already has a guardian with Sideswipe but I'm going to ask you to befriend her," Strobe looked at him in horror, "It will be that way, Strobe," he snapped.

"Yes sir," she replied submissively,

"Good, I will call Sideswipe and ask him to bring her here,"

Beth sat in front of Optimus Prime with Sidewipe on one side and Strobe on the other. Every now and then the femme Autobot would look down at Beth with a sneer and contempt. Sideswipe caught her once and swore at her through his comm link but that didn't stop the femme. Beth caught Strobe out of the corner of her eye but she just turned away, uncertain of why she was here and what she'd done to the female Autobot to be treated in such a contemptuous manner,

"Strobe, this is Beth, she is a trusted and well respected member of the N.E.S.T team, not only has she earned the trust of the human soldiers she has fought with but she has become a trusted and loyal friend to us too. I expect you to treat her with the respect she deserves while you learn off her. Remember Sideswipe is her guardian so if you want to go anywhere with Beth you have to clear it with myself and Sideswipe. _DO NOT_put her life in any sort of danger,"

Beth looked at the femme Autobot with alarm, how was she supposed to teach this obnoxious looking femme their ways. Optimus Prime turned his attention to Beth,

"Strobe has to learn to trust humans and the only way she can do that is to get to know one of you. She has been hurt by a certain member of the human race your brother included...," Beth cringed, despite his recognition that what was happening was wrong; the truth of the matter was he was involved and that caused this femme a lot of pain, "...This is why I have asked you to help her,"

Strobe snorted, "I don't need help, especially from a little squishy like her,"

Prime glared at Strobe, the femme immediately stopped talking and looked down,

"Well this is going to be a laugh a minute," Beth said quietly under her breath

"Optimus Prime," Beth said, "If I'm to teach her my ways than isn't it best she's my guardian rather than Sideswipe," Strobe looked at her with disgust,

"You must be kidding, there's no way I'd...,"

"No, Beth it is better Sideswipe stays your guardian, Strobe isn't ready for that yet," Prime replied, "It is going to be difficult, she won't make things easy for you," he turned to Sideswipe,

"**I don't know if I can trust Strobe with Beth, stay with the human at all times,"** Sideswipe nodded slightly in affirmation.

Outside Prime's Beth and Strobe looked at each other, "I'm going to learn nothing off of you," Strobe snarled, "I don't need to, I've seen enough already," with that she turned on her feet and headed toward her quarters. Beth raised her eyebrows and looked at Sideswipe,

"How am I suppose to deal with that?" the silver frontline warrior shrugged.

* * *

><p>Sideswipe lay on his berth silently, he hadn't heard from Sunstreaker for a while and wondered what his brother was doing. Beth was safely in her quarters and Aiden was sharing a room with Mark and Joe. He prodded at Sunstreaker's bond in the hope that he might hear from his twin.<p>

Nothing.

The mech settled into a recharge wondering what was happening with his brother. He wasn't dead, Sideswipe knew that for a fact and he wasn't inured,

"Sunstreaker, you're one stubborn mongrel," he muttered to himself.

In the meantime Roadbuster was at communications when he heard a broken message from Prowl,

"This is Au...ot Prowl ...Optimus Pr..., d...yo... py," the wrecker sent a message to Optimus Prime.

The Autobot leader raced through the base and up to communication, "What is it Roadbuster?"

"I have just head from Autobot Prowl," Prime looked at him, "Is he there now?"

Roadbuster moved out of the way so that the Autobot leader could communicate with the technician,

"This is Optimus Prime leader of the Autobots. Do you copy?"

"Optimus Prime, h..w...od it is t...he... your voice. I'm mak... way to ...with two other Autobots F... Aid and S...reaker, and any other stragglers we may see on the way. Should be there in about 24 breams,"

Optimus Prime quickly worked out how long 24 breams was in earth's time. Three months which gave him plenty of time to notify Charlotte Mearing,

Optimus Prime relayed co ordinates trough his comm link, "I'm sending you coordinates that will take you in the direction of earth. As soon as we have cleared your arrival with Charlotte Mearing we will send you the coordinates to the landing site. You keep breaking up so let me know if you get them," Prowl fiddled with some knobs,

"Thanks...Prime can you hear me now? We're travelling in a Decepticon shuttle so please make sure we're not mistaken for cons,"

"I can hear you loud and clear," Prime replied, "I'll be sure that the powers that be knows,"

"Oh and one request, Sunstreaker has asked not to tell Sideswipe, he wants to surprise his brother,"

"Our lips are sealed," Optimus replied looking at Roadbuster who nodded his ascent,

"Our?" Prowl asked,

"Roadbuster," Prime confirmed,

"So the...,"

The line went dead except for the static on the line, "Optimus Prime to Prowl come in,"

Roadbuster looked at Prime, "Let me see if I can get him back," he said as he turned knobs and pushed buttons, "I can't sir, they seem to have blocked us out,"

"What happened?" optimus asked,

"Decepticons, we have to maintain radio silence for a while in case they intercept our communication,"

"Okay, safe travel. Prime out," he switched off the communication and immediately called up Ratchet,

"**Ratchet here, what's the problem Optimus?"**

"**I've heard from Prowl, he's coming in with First Aid and Sunstreaker"** there was a moments silence on the line before Ratchet spoke again, "**First Aid is coming?"**

"**Yes he is old friend,"**

"**No way, he's alive?"** Optimus Prime smiled at the obvious elation in the medic's voice, "**Why the ol...it's the best news I've heard for a long time. Who else is coming in?" Ratchet asked,**

"**Sunstreaker, but Sideswipe is not to know, he wants to surprise him,"**

"**Sideswipe won't take that well," Ratchet groused,**

"**Well we'll leave them to sort it out," Prime replied, **

He closed his comm. Link and sat down in the communications room, he pinched the bridge of his nose as he anticipated the conversation with Charlotte tomorrow morning,

"Are you alright Optimus Prime?" Roadbuster asked.

Optimus looked up at the wrecker, "Yes, I'm just thinking about the meeting with Charlotte tomorrow,"

Roadbuster snorted, "She's not the easiest of people to get on with," he replied in his broad Scottish accent, "She annoyed the tailpipe out of Tailspin,"

Prime chuckled at Roadbuster's comment, "She annoys the tailpipe out of all of us but we have to work with her,"

"Aye, that we do," he confirmed as he looked for the Decepticon shuttle carrying Prowl, Sunstreaker and First Aid but it wasn't there yet.

Beth woke up the next morning really early and despite being on light duties she was very eager to get back into her army greens. She looked in her mirror and organized her unruly curls into a tight bun and placed a hair net over it. The last thing to do was to put on the army boots. She stood up and placed a foot on a chair to tie up her laces hmming a favourite worship song happily. Beth straightened herself out one last time before leaving for the rec room to grab a coffee and some breakfast. As she walked out she took one last look around her quarters, they weren't exactly like her apartment but it still felt like home with some of her personal belongings there.

The young soldier wasn't quite sure if she wanted to go back to the apartment now that she'd been broken into twice, it didn't seem to have that same secure feeling about it. Here was good enough for a home for the time being, it gave her a chance to work out what she wanted to do and then she could collect the rest of her belongings and put them into storage.

The sweet aroma of coffee wafted along the corridor alluring Beth to the rec room. She got herself a mug and proceeded to pour a coffee and put in milk and sugar. Ratchet walked into the rec room with Mark sitting on his shoulder,

"Hi Beth," she looked around to see who was calling her, "Up here," Mark called. Beth looked toward Ratchet and saw Mark sitting on his shoulder. She smiled,

"Oh...hi Mark," she replied,

"So you're coming back today,"

"Sure am,it couldn't happen soon enough,"

"Put me down please, Ratchet?" Mark asked.

The medic wrapped his fingers around Mark's waist gently and placed him next to Beth so he could fix up some breakfast as well,

"Sleep well?" he asked.

Beth looked up from her plate which now had her toast sitting on it, "Yes, I did thanks...and you?"

"Yes, I did,"

Sideswipe walked into the rec room but he didn't have his usual happy step, he seemed a bit on edge and sad. Beth wondered what had happened for his mood to change suddenly. She gathered her breakfast,

"I'm sitting with Sideswipe, feel free to join me," she said.

She picked up her plate and mug and walked toward the silver mech and stroked his leg. Sideswipe recognized the action to be that of Beth's and stooped down to pick her up,

"Hey soldier girl. How are you?" he asked,

"Sideswipe," she said as she blushed, "I'm fine, how are you, you seem a bit sad,"

He shrugged his shoulders, "You know how it is,"

A sad expression crossed her face, "You haven't heard from Sunsteaker," he nodded,

"He's being very quiet; I know he's not hurt or dead. I would have felt it through our bond," Ratchet overheard the conversation and smiled wryly as he looked back at the data pad with an article he was enjoying,

"Well then he must be okay," Beth confirmed,

"I hope so," Sideswipe replied. Beth looked at him with her soft chocolate brown eyes intently,

"It's good to hope," she said.

She sat down on the table in front of him and started to eat her breakfast, watching what was happening around her. Aiden walked in and fetched a mug of coffee; he saw Beth sitting on the table in front of Sideswipe and walked over to them,

"Hi Beth," Beth looked down at Aiden and scowled, she forgot he was here, "Can I come up?" Beth looked at Sideswipe,

"Can you let him up?" Sideswipe scooped the young man up and placed him next to Beth,

"Thanks," Aiden said as he took his place next to Beth. He looked at his sister, "You know you look good in those army greens,"

Ratchet got up, chucked his cube in the can and walked toward Beth, "You are with me today, Beth. I asked William if you could do filing for me because you're on light duties, aren't you?"

"Yes Ratchet I am but I don't understand Cybertronian," she replied,

He smiled, "No, I know. Strobe is going to help you. It will allow you two to get to know each other." Suddenly Beth could see her first day back going horribly wrong.

"Don't worry, I'll keep her under check," She looked at the medic stunned. He was either very good at mind reading or very perceptive. Sideswipe chuckled at Beth's reaction.

"Watch out for that robot, she's dangerous," Aiden said.

Ratchet and Sideswipe looked at the human, "If I really wanted to I could squish you flat right here, right now," Sideswipe growled. Beth rubbed his hand and turned on Aiden,

"What is with you?" she hissed,

"What do you mean?" Aiden asked.

"Strobe didn't deserve that, look at what she's been through and _you..._," Beth jabbed a finger in Aiden's chest, "...were there torturing her with the rest of them. The way I see it Simon is more dangerous than Strobe and you left _me_ at his mercy." The anger Beth felt towards her brother rose to the surface and nothing was going to stop her. Not even Strobe who had just walked into the rec room and heard Beth's ranting,

"What do you mean, Beth?" Aiden asked calmly,

"How can you be so calm?" she bellowed,

"Beth calm yourself," Ratchet barked. Beth looked at him,

"Don't you tell me to calm myself," she then turned back to Aiden, "When you left Simon attacked me and then as if that isn't enough he burgles my apartment. Why? Because you came bleating to me about some project you got involved in. Oh and not only that...you leave your wife and children to fend for themselves too..."

"Beth...I had no choice," he argued,

"What do you mean you had no choice? You did have a choice. You protected Strobe in the woods but you can't be bothered to protect myself or your family," she continued, "You left me when I needed you most. You left me when I was injured to fend for myself. What would have happened to me if Sideswipe wasn't there? And when was the last time you spoke to your family?"

Beth could feel her eyes burning, she didn't see Strobe standing near Ratchet smirking at them until she spoke, "Well this is rather interesting, feisty little human, aren't you?" she said condescendingly,

"Shut up!" Beth bellowed at the femme,

"Beth, you will not speak to any of us in that manner again," Ratchet bellowed but Beth didn't hear him,

She turned to Aiden again, "What about our pact, Aiden. We will always be there for each other. Where were you when Simon was attacking me or ransacking my apartment...I know where! Hiding!" she screamed as she leant into him, "Growing beards! You couldn't face him yourself so you left me to face him,"

She wiped a tear from her face as Aiden stood there dumbfounded and the others stood there silently. She looked at him one last time, her brown eyes glassy from tears and red, "You're a coward, Aiden," she looked at Sideswipe nd croaked, "Put me down, please,"

Sideswipe placed her on the floor and watched as the soldier left the rec room. Mark ran after Beth,

"Beth," he called but she just kept on walking into the ladies bathroom where she wiped her face and composed herself before reporting for duty.

She knew Ratchet would report her for speaking to him and Strobe the way she did but she could handle them both. She took a paper towel and dried her face and looked in the mirror, her eyes were still puffy but she was calmer now.

Beth walked throug the corridors of the N.E.S.T base and along the catwalk to where William and Robert were talking to Optimus Prime. The Autobot leader had both hands on the bars and all three were in a deep conversation,

"How long until they arrive?" William asked,

"Approximately three earth months," Prime replied,

"Well, that will please Charlotte," Robert said, "Three more mechs one of whom turns into a larikin when he's with his brother. Life will never be the same here,"

They heard the thud of Beth's boots on the catwalk and turned to her, "Private Amersham reporting for duty, sir," she said as she saluted the Colonol while desperately strugling to keep her emotions in check,

"Welcome back, Private Amersham, you will be working with Ratchet and Strobe today,"

"Yes sir," she replied.

She looked up and saw Optimus Prime looking at her so she quickly turned around so her back was facing him. She felt what she thought was a hand touch her finger and looked around to discover it was a blue finger,

"Are you alright, Beth Amersham," Optimus asked,

"Peachy," she replied sarcastically,

"I will take you to the med bay," Optimus Prime said as he held out his hand. The walk to the med bay was silent which Beth appreciated, he looked down at her. She was sitting with her knees curled up and her arms around her knees and frowning,

"How are you Beth?" Prime asked.

Beth looked at him and shrugged her shoulders. How was she? Well apart from the fact that she chewed her brother out, was rude to Ratchet and screamed at Strobe...she was fine,

"I'm okay," she said quietly,

"You don't seem okay. Is there anything you'd like to talk about?" he asked her.

Beth looked at him, he had a serious but kind look on his face, "No thank you, Optimus Prime," she replied politely.

They walked through the doors to the med bay where Ratchet and Strobe were chatting while Mark was sitting silently and reading about Cybertronian history, something which Mark requested and totally floored the medic.

He looked up at Prime's entrance and saw Beth sitting on his hand. The young woman swallowed a lump while she fought desprately against the tears about to spill over again. Ratchet looked at her with compassion while Strobe looked on,

"Place her over there," Ratchet said as he pointed to a berth, "Beth and I need to have a chat," Beth looked down ashamed. Right now she felt like a little girl about to be disciplined by her father. Optimus Prime frowned,

"Anything wrong?" he asked. Ratchet shook his head, "Fine, I'll leave you to it," Optimus said as he walked out of the med bay. Ratchet walked toward the young soldier,

"Now missy," he said in an authoritative tone. Beth looked at Mark and then Strobe, Mark coughed politely averting Ratchet's attention to himself,

"Ratchet, for the sake of Beth's pride do you want Strobe and myself to leave?"

"No, I want to watch this," Strobe replied with glee. Ratchet frowned at her,

He sat down so she was looking into the medic's eyes, "Do you feel better now?" he asked Beth,

"Yes sir," she replied. He grunted, "I don't appreciate the way you spoke to me or Strobe this morning,"

"Sorry Ratchet," Beth said quietly,

"Beth that's okay but you need to apologize to Strobe too. I'm not going to report you this time because you don't normally speak to us like that," Strobe looked at the young woman, "_He might not report her but I will,"_ she thought, "But," Ratchet continued, "If you do speak to us like that again we will report you. Understand?"

"Yes sir," Beth replied, "Sorry si...,"

"I'm Ratchet not sir," the medic interjected,

"Yes si...Ratchet," Beth replied.

Ratchet looked at Beth, he noticed how much different her demaeanour was in uniform. She was more official and less relaxed. He held out his hand and took her across to Strobe. Ratchet looked at Strobe and spoke to her in his native tongue, "Strobe you are to help Beth do the filing, she doesn't know our language so you need to show her. If there are any mistakes I will look to you because of Beth's lack of knowledge,"

"Yes sir," Strobe replied.

He left to get back to his work, Beth looked up at Strobe who looked down at Beth and raised an optic ridge,

"Strobe, I'm sorry for the way I spoke to you this morning," the femme said nothing and turned her back on Beth.

Ratchet looked at her, "**Accept her apology,"**he barked,

Strobe pushed air out through her vents and looked down at Beth, "It's okay," she replied peevishly.

* * *

><p>Charlotte arrived at N.E.S.T promptly for her meeting with Optimus Prime. She didn't know what it could be about, he rarely ever called her; not that she could blame him, they did get off to a very bad start. William heard the middle aged woman arrive before he saw her, he pushed on the button linking him to Prime's office to let he Autobot leader know Charlotte had arrived. She bustled in in her usual manner with her secretary behind her, who surprisingly didn't have hundreds of bags with her this time.<p>

Optimus Prime was already standing by the command centre when Charlotte had walked up the catwalk. Sideswipe and Bumblebee were also standing with him,

"It's good of you to come Charlotte Mearing," Optimus Prime said,

"Thank you," she replied, "What would you like to discuss with me?"

"I received a call from three more Autobots last night," Charlotte looked at him silently,

"When are they expected to arrive?"

"In three months time, they are arriving in a Decepticon shuttle they commandeered and they are very trustworthy; one of them was my SIC," Optimus decided it would be prudent not to mention that one of them could wreak havoc when he got together with his brother,

"You may deem them trustworthy Optimus Prime but I do not know them _and _they are coming in a Decepticon shuttle," she replied, "How do we know there are't any Decepticons following them,"

"They are maintaining radio silence as far as the Decepticons are concerned it's just a dead shuttle," Prime replied,

Bumblebee stepped forward, "Besides," Optimus Prime turned around to look at the young lieutenant, "Strobe reported two seekers on earth searching for their comrades but left when they couldn't find them,"

Optimus Prime turned back to Charlotte, "That is news which would quickly spread through the remaining Decepticon ranks, which is bad news for any Autobots out there because the Decepticons will act on their own instincts without a new leader,"

"In other words we need to get them here on earth as soon as possible to limit their vulnerability," William continued.

Charlotte looked at them thoughtfully, she had no reason to not believe Optimus Prime but she also had the security of America and the world to think of. She looked at Prime with her stony grey eyes,

"Leave it with me; I will clear them for landing. Do you know of anymore out there who are likely to turn up?"

"Like I said before, we lost whole generations as we fled Cybertron, there are very few of us remaining,"

Charlotte looked down, "Yes I do remember you saying that Optimus Prime," the Director of National security looked at him, "I'm very sorry," Prime nodded an acceptance to her show of compassion,

"Thank you," Charlotte Mearing,

* * *

><p>Prowl sat at the helm of the ship and looked into the dark expanse, "<em>Stars, stars and more stars,"<em>he thought to himself. Suddenly he saw movement in front,

"Sunstreaker look at this," the yellow frontline warrior peered out of the window and saw what looked like a Cybertronian who seemed to be drifting aimlessly in space. He looked down at the radar to see if anything come up and sure enough it was an Autobot symbol,

"According to the radar, it's an Autobot,"

"I wonder who it could be," Prowl said quietly as he steered the ship towards the body,

"Careful," Sunstreaker said, "It could be booby trap,"

As the shuttle slowly edged toward the Autobot it turned around to reveal the face of the Autobot. First Aid was now with them,

"It looks like...a femme," he said, "Light her up, let's see if we can find out who it is,"

"Is she alive?" Prowl asked,

"Her signature has been picked up," First Aid replied as he looked at the radar, and then out of the window again, "Hang on a minute, that's Moonracer,"

"Won't that attract Decepticons?" Sunstreaker asked,

"Nah, we're in a Decepticon shuttle, as far any cons would be concerned we are picking up Autobot stragglers as war prisoners," Prowl replied,

First Aid thought for a moment, "If the Decepticons don't know we're Autobots than neither will the femme,"

"Good thinking First Aid," Prowl started to signal the femme to prevent her from hitting them but suddenly stopped, he would be signalling to Decepticons as well. He turned around to Sunstreaker and First Aid, "You'll have to go out there and rescue her,"

Moonracer was constantly on high alert, she was alone and vulnerable so if she had to go down then she'd go down fighting. She picked up the Decepticon shuttle and became stunned by the bright light shining on her. The femme quickly moved out of the light so she could see properly, she knew she had to destroy it if she was going to have any chance of survival.

The two mechs stood in the doorway and looked at her, Sunstreaker put out his hand to protect the medic who still stubbornly refused to carry any sort of weapon, even for self defence,

"Autobot Moonracer, this is Autobot Sunstreaker and First Aid. Disarm and stand down, we are coming to get you" Sunstreaker called out as he launched himself out of the shuttle.

Moonracer smiled and flew toward them, "You've got no idea how glad I am to see you," she said,

The two mechs grabbed her before she got past them and escorted her back to the shuttle, "You're lucky we did see you," Sunstreaker replied, "We're headed to earth wanna come?"

"Earth? Where and what is that?" she asked,

"Home," Sunstreaker replied.

He held out his hand and helped her into the shuttle and then Prowl fired up the engines and put the shuttle on the co ordinates Optimus had given him.

* * *

><p>Will Strobe and Beth hit it off?<p>

What will happen with Simon.

More coming soon.


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer; Transformers and their characters do not belong to me. I have my oc's in this story.**

* * *

><p>Chapter 9<p>

Trust.

Beth sat in the rec room at the end of what she would have to say was one of the worst days of her life. First of all she chews her brother out, then she gets told off by Ratchet and then she has to spend a day working with an Autobot femme who wouldn't give her the time of day simply because she was a human. Beth sat at a table in the rec room with a mug of coffee in front of her, she had put her sugar in and now she was stirring the coffee around absent mindedly while her head was cocked to one side and supported by her hand.

It was quiet in the rec room and she appreciated that, it gave her time just to take things in and think about them. That was until a certain cheerful silver frontline warrior walked in. When he saw Beth siting there alone, looking sad his smile disappeared. Beth looked up when she saw him come in and groaned. Couldn't she have a break from giant alien robots for once? Couldn't she just walk out and for just twenty four hours forget she was involved in an intergalactic war, attacked by a man who was adament that these guys were the personification of evil, Strobe and so on? A tear pooled in the corner of her eye which she dicreetly wiped away. Sideswipe came and crouched in front of her,

"Bad day, huh?" he asked.

Beth didn't reply.

Sideswipe forced air out through his vents as he placed a finger lightly on her hand which was stirring the coffee,

"You're going to make a hole in the cup,"

Beth looked at him and then back at the table as she sighed deeply; she wanted to tell him to go away, to scream at him, cry on his shoulder. The next person to come in was Aiden who saw Beth and Sideswipe sitting together. He took one look at Beth and shook his head, when she was like this nobody could get anywhere with her. Strobe came into the rec room next and glared at Aiden before she turned her attention to Beth. Beth could feel the femme's optics boring into her and she didn't like it. She got up from her seat and left the rec room quickly to the sanctuary of her quarters.

Beth stood quietly in her quarters, she couldn't do this anymore. She couldn't cope with everything that was happening around her, the demands being placed on her. When she first started working here it was fun, the aliens had embraced her and she had embraced them. She had so quickly fitted in and become part of their family and willingly fought beside them. Now that had all changed and her battle had become a personal one in which she had to prove her worth and that of the human race to one femme. Her eyes fell on her bible, she sat on her bed and picked it up. As she opened the bible to a passage she could feel a peacefulness move through her body. It was beautiful and comforting and full of love all in one go. Beth closed her eyes as she allowed it to flow through her before she finally read the passage from Matthew 11:28.

Beth woke up to the sound of tapping on her door, she was laying on top of her blanket with her bible opened to the passage she had read. She fought the grogginess of the deep sleep and stood up. Her army greens were crumpled from the way she was laying, she ran her hands over them to straighten them out and wiped her chololate brown eyes before asking who it was in a sleepy voice,

"Mark, I thought you might want to go out for a while. Aiden told me what happened, I know things have been quite intense for you with everything that has happened so Sideswipe and I thought you might like a break from it all."

Beth slowly opened her door to see Mark standing there next to Sideswipe's holoform. She squinted as her eyes tried to adjust to the bright light, Beth only had a small lamp on in her room. Sideswipe chuckled at the face she was pulling but stopped when Mark jabbed him in the side with his elbow,

"Where would we go," Beth asked.

Mark shrugged his shoulders, "I don't know, where would you like to go?"

Beth's eyes quickly lit up when she remembered a favourite Italian restaurant where they did the nicest pasta dishes,

"I'm kinda hungry, could we get a bite to eat,"

Mark smiled at her, "Okay, we could go to a nice Italian place, they have pretty good pasta there" Beth smiled,

"I know where you're talking about, it's one of my favourite restaurants, they do nice Lasagne. I'll just get changed and then we'll go," Beth looked at Sideswipe, "Are you coming too?"

"Princess, I'm your chauffeur for the night,"

Mark laughed and shook his head, Sideswipe looked at him, "What?" he asked,

"You're such a ladies man, I bet you had all the femme running after you,"

"Uhmm...no I didn't actually. That was my brother," he replied sadly, "The vain bucket of bolts,"

Beth politely excused herself and shut the door so she could get organized. She took off her army greens and hang them on a hanger and then rooted through her wardrobe and drawers for civvies. Finally she found a pair of skin tight jeans, a pink armless lacy top with sequins which shone, on top of that she wore a blue denim jacket. She released her hair from the bun on th eback of her head smiling as it automatically spang into curls which rested where they landed. She put on a little bit of mascara and lipstick and sprayed some perfume on her neck and wrists. Once Beth had put on a pair of black leather pumps she looked in the mirror before picking up her bag and walking out of the door. Sideswipe whistled loudly as she stood in front of Mark who looked her up and down before nodding with approval,

"Not bad for a quick change,"

"Not bad!" Sideswipe exclaimed, "She's beautiful," Beth blushed a beetroot red at the compliment making both the men laugh loudly.

Strobe watched with a keen interest as Beth stood with Mark and Sideswipe. Optimus Prime was finished for the day and he had just left his office,

"It's nice to see her happy,"

Strobe turned around, "Oh? Isn't she usually happy," she asked,

"She's had a hard time since the battle in Chicago. I'm sure she'll talk about it with you when she knows you a bit better. Beth is a nice youg woman who has been loyal to the Autobots since we first invited her to join us. She sees us as her family because she never had a human one," Optimus Prime turned to look at Strobe his hands tightly clasped behind his back, "In fact she looked to Ironhide as her father and he took on that role for Beth,"

Strobe looked at her sympathetically, she noticed the slight limp as Beth walked down the corridor with Sideswipe and Mark,

"Why is she limping?" Strobe asked,

"She was injured during the battle in Chicago,"

"Hmm, I find the humans to be a weak and pathetic species," Strobe said,

"Don't underestimate them, Strobe, the may seem weak and pathetic to you but there is not much difference between them and us when it comes to sentience."

They watched as Sideswipe transformed into his vehicle mode and opened his doors for the two humans. Mark knew the mech wasn't keen on allowing the humans to drive him so he just rested his hands on the steering wheel. Beth turned around and saw Strobe standing with Prime. Strobe narrowed her optics at the human making the young female feel intimidated. Her smile disappeared as she stepped into the car and waited for Sideswipe to wrap the seatbelt around her.

Optimus noticed the change in Beth's mood and turned to Strobe, "You will not treat the humans in such a manner. I have said to you before I expect you to respect the humans. They fought beside us and have become our closest allies."

Strobe stopped and looked down, "Sorry Prime," she replied submissively,

"That's okay, come nothing much is happening around here and I could do with some time out as the humans say,"

"Time out?" Strobe asked.

Optimus chuckled, "You have much to learn sweetspark but we will teach you,"

Strobe followed Prime to the rec room, it was quiet in there, in fact it was just the two of them. Most of the Autobots were either on duty or out. Optimus Prime poured energon into two cubes and took them to a table. Strobe took a sip of the energon and looked at Prime. She looked around the room, it was pretty much the same as the rest of the building,

"So what happens to us now, Optimus Prime?"

"The humans have given us refugee status and allowed us to stay on this planet because Cybertron was lost...forever,"

Strobe looked down at the table, "In his greed and lust for power Megatron destroyed the very thing he sought after and that has affected us all,"

"Indeed it has, Strobe," Optimus replied sadly,

"I saw Skywarp and Thundercracker, they were searching for the remains of Starscream and Megatron, no doubt,"

"They won't find them, the humans have their remains in a secret place which only I know about."

"They left, they mentioned Cyclonus on their way. Is it possible he's taken Megatron's place in his absence?"

"Cyclonus is very loyal to Megatron and will back him up at all cost. He is very dangerous and clever. We are not to underestimate him but the Decepticons will be in disarray when they hear of Megatron's death so at the moment the threat is very minimal," Prime replied.

"Should we tell the humans about him?" Strobe asked,

"No, the humans have been through enough and the Decepticons are no threat at the moment but I fear a day will come when the Decepticon threat will re emerge and they will come exacting revenge on the humans for killing Megatron and the others. When that day comes we will be ready for them. Until then we will enjoy this peace."

Strobe watched him as he got up and re filled his energon cube, she remembered Elita chiding him once for having too much and smiled sadly. Optimus was so wise but he seemed so lonely without Elita by his side. He sat in front her again, Strobe looked at him compassionately,

"Optimus Prime, I am sorry about Elita One,"

Sadness filled Prime's eyes and features, "Thank you, Strobe. Her loss is painful even now and now that the Decepticons are gone I have more time to think about her. It's a painful place to be,"

"I know," she replied her voice laced with grief and sadness.

"What will happen with Simon?"

"I don't know, that's human business," Prime replied, "But you can be guaranteed he will be punished severely."

Optimus Prime looked at Strobe thoughtfully, "How did you find working with Beth?"

Strobe frowned, "Why did you put me with Beth? Why can't I spend time William?" she asked,

"Because I want you to learn to trust the humans and Beth is a very trustworthy and patient human, she will be easy to get along with and has a strong respect for us."

Strobe looked at him, she could tell that from the way Beth stood up for her after Aiden's comment but Strobe didn't want to spend any more time with the female soldier she wanted to learn from Wiliam and formulated a quick plan in her pocessor,

"She told myself and Ratchet to shut up,"

Optimus looked at Strobe, "Is that so?" he replied, "Yes it is and Ratchet told her he wasn't going to report her,"

"Ratchet must have had a reason for not reporting her." Optimus suddenly put two and two together. Beth was upset this morning and he wondered if Strobe knew anything about it or maybe she was the cause of it,

"What happened to make Beth so upset, she's usually quite easy going," Prime asked,

Strobe looked at him this was her opportunity to get what she wanted and be with William but that would mean lying to her leader, something she would never have done unless she was caught by cons and then she would lie through her teeth. She could be honest which would mean she wouldn't get to be with William but she woudn't disappoint her leader either,

Optimus Prime scowled, "I know what you're doing Strobe. I want the truth." he said firmly.

Strobe growled to herself, why was Optimus Prime so perceptive?

"Aiden made a comment about me so Beth chewed him out,"

Strobe watched as the expression on Prime's face became one of understanding, "Aiden and Beth are as thick as thieves it would stand to reason that she would be upset about chewing him out. They only have each other,"

"Well that's all the more reason to put me with William, Optimus Prime. How can I trust Beth when she is close to Aiden?"

"The fact that Beth chewed her brother out for something he said about you would be a god reason, Strobe,"

Strobe flopped back on her aft, she wasn't going to win this one so she may as well give up but the femme wasn't used to giving up,

"That's just a one off, how can I know she won't change her mind,"

Optimus pinched the bridge of her nose, she was persistent he'd give her that, "It...will...be as I say," Prime replied in a voice laced with anger.

Strobe slammed her fist on the desk and stormed out of the rec room.

William was in his office speaking to Sarah and Annabelle; an idea came to the femme's head when she passed his office. She activated her holoform and knocked on his door, he was still talking as he opened the door to her and beckoned her in. He invited her to sit down while he finished his call.

Strobe looked around the office, there was a map of USA and all the normal furniture you'd find in an office, but what really caught her eye was the photo of Ironhide with William and Sarah. The weapons specialist was, tall and well built with thick short black hair which lay flat on his head. He had gelled his hair and he was really quite good looking. He was smiling but she could tell just from his eyes that he wasn't happy. He wore a black short sleeved T shirt and a pair of blue jeans; his arms were muscle bound, and on his right arm was the Autobot symbol tattooed in bold black ink.

He was holding Annabelle who had long blonde hair like the woman standing next to him. Annabelle's hair was in a pony tail with a few rebellious wavy strands hanging down on either side of her head. Annabelle had her arm around Ironhide's neck and she was laying her head on his shoulder but looking at the camera. She wasn't smiling but Strobe could tell the little girl who must be about five or six years old was totally comfortable with her Autobot brother. Strobe smiled at the family photo and reached out her hands to touch Ironhide's face. She could tell it was a sunny day just by the way the little girl's hair caught the sunlight and the how the light caught the leaves of tall trees in the background of the photo,

"That's my family with Ironhide," William said, "It was the last time we saw him,"

He came and stood beside Strobe and looked at the photo with her. Strobe heard the sadness in his voice and when she saw looked at the soldier she saw the grief in his etched in his face. She lowered her head,

"I'm sorry," she said quietly, "I can see you were very close to him, the little girl loved him,"

"That's Annabelle, my daughter. She misses him terribly."

Suddenly it didn't seem right to report Beth to the soldier standing beside her; he had enough to cope with. William turned to her and smiled,

"How did you get on with Beth today?" Strobe shrugged her shoulders, "She's the youngest member of N.E.S.T but an integral member of the team. Ironhide took her under his wing," Strobe smiled, she could imagine the old weapons specialist doing that, it was something he did when soldiers showed promise during training on Cybertron, "We thought we'd lost her after the battle in Chicago but as you can see she's alive and kicking."

"What happened to her?" Strobe asked,

"Her plane was shot down by Decepticon seekers, she was the only one who survived the crash."

"Then she's lucky to be alive,"

William didn't miss the sincerity in Strobe's voice, was the femme softening to the idea of befriending Beth. He bit his lip as he thought carefully about what he was going to say next,

"I've mentioned this before I am sure, Strobe, Beth is a good soldier. She is loyal, strong and dependable and I would trust her to the very end,"

"Yes William but she is also Aiden's sister, you may be able to trust her but I can't, not yet anyway,"

"_Well now that is quite interesting," _the soldier thought to himself as he sat on the edge of the desk with his hands on both sides of the table, "You say not yet anyway...are you saying there is a chance you could trust her?"

Strobe glared at him, "You don't miss much, do you Colonel Lennox?" she said, "Yes, that is exactly what I'm saying but in my own time," Strobe watched as he looked at her with understanding and then nodded.

* * *

><p>Beth and Mark finished their meal and left the restaurant. Mark wanted to open the door for Beth but he wasn't sure how Sideswipe would take to him touching his form. Sideswipe watched as the couple walked back together. It was a beautiful night, there was a full moon shining brilliantly lighting up the clear midnight blue sky. They walked slowly back through the car park toward the silver corvette, the sequins on her top catching the moonlight and shining.<p>

As they approached the awaiting Corvette the doors automatically opened. Mark stood beside Beth and watched her as she looked up at the sky, her brown curls hanging down behind her head,

"It's a beautiful night," she said quietly. Mark dipped his hands in his pockets and stood there watching her, smiling,

"I know a place where we can sit for a while,"

Beth looked at him and blushed a bit, "Are you proposing we park?" she asked.

Mark shrugged his shoulders, "Well...it's a nice night and the evening is still young,"

Mark's iphone bleeped in his pocket, he frowned at the disturbance as he took it out to read the text.

::_I know a nice place where you could take Beth::_

"Apparently Sideswipe wants to take us somewhere," he said,

"Oh," Beth replied as she elegantly sat down in the passenger seat and waited for the seatbelt to wrap around her body.

The Corvette drove them out of the car park and through the streets to some gardens with a lake in it. Sideswipe stopped by a bench and opened his doors so the couple got get out and sit on the bench. The moonlight shone on the water and danced around on the ripples, they both sat on a park bench overlooking the lake and talked. A breeze blew across the lake making Beth shiver as her curls blew across her face. Mark draped his arm around her shoulder,

"Are you cold? We could sit inside Sideswipe if you want," she smiled at him, he was so considerate,

"No, I'm fine out here," she replied.

The night was so peaceful, there was hardly a noise apart from the sound of the wind in the trees a croak from a frog and the sound of an owl hooting from the trees. The silence was almost deafening but Beth enjoyed it, it was so peaceful compared to the continual activity in the NEST base,

"Listen," she whispered,

"What?" Mark replied, "I don't hear anything,"

"That's exactly the point, there is no noise. It's so peaceful,"

Mark listened, "It is," he replied, "Would you like to go for a walk?"

"Okay," Beth replied and got up.

They walked along the gravel path, the sound of their shoes crunching on the stones underfoot. Sideswipe watched the couple silhouetted against the silvery blue moonlight as they walked along the path and back again. Mark looked at his watch,

"Well I guess we'd better head back, it's late,"

"Ok" she replied.

"Time to go home, Sideswipe,"

Beth looked at both Sideswipe and Mark who was waiting for her to get in, "I have enjoyed myself, thank you...both of you."

There was the sound of chatting and laughing as Beth, Mark and Sideswipe walked in. Strobe noticed how much happier the young woman looked and she was holding a single red rose, she stood there silently just around the corner from Beth's quarters and she watched the interaction between the two humans and Sideswipe. Mark escorted her to her front door where they stopped and looked at each other while Sideswipe looked on from a distance. Beth looked down at the rose and then back up at Mark. Strobe couldn't help but notice how Beth suddenly seemed a little shy and lost for words, she twiddled the rose between her thumb and forefinger as she quickly smiled, the petals danced to the movement,

"I suppose this is where I'm supposed to ask you in for a coffee,"

Mark looked at her and shrugged his shoulders, "If you want to," he replied,

Beth looked up at the ceiling, her curls hang from her head "Hmmm," she hummed thoughtfully, "I would except that I'm not allowed to have tea and coffee making facilities in my room. Ratchet confiscated them when I first arrived, remember?"

"I do," Mark chuckled, "You were so disgusted with the medic,"

Beth laughed a little bit, "I suppose he was only being caring," she looked at Mark who was smiling at her,

"No," they both agreed,

"He's just plain obsessive," Mark replied, "It's okay Beth. I'm on an early tomorrow and Ratchet wants me in top form for some new arrivals coming in,"

"Oh? who?" Beth asked.

Mark shrugged his shoulders, "I don't know," he replied as he put his hands in his pocket, "Maybe we could do this again some time,"

Beth smiled at him, "Okay, I'd like that," she replied.

She watched as he walked down the corridor whistling a happy tune. Beth turned to Sideswipe's holoform, "You're not to mention a thing to Ratchet,"

"My lips are sealed," he replied with a smile.

Beth walked up to Sideswipe and looked at him, her brown eyes sparkling. She looked in the direction of Strobe who darted further back behind the corner, "Sideswipe, I'd like to thank you...for chauffering myself and Mark. It must have been very boring for you,"

"Not a problem, Princess, I'm you're guardian, remember,"

Beth's smile disappeared and Strobe hit her forehead with her hand,

"Sideswipe, you idiot!" she hissed to herself,

"Yeah, that," Beth replied sourly, "And I have to face Strobe again tomorrow,"

Sideswipe frowned, "Strobe is fine," he replied, "Give her time, she has been hurt by humans."

"Yeah, I know. My brother was one of them," Beth snarled.

Sideswipe's chest rose and fell as he sighed, "Don't be too hard on him, it wasn't entirely his fault. He probably didn't know how to find a way out of it. Simon is not a nice person if you cross him you yourself know that,"

Beth rubbed her arms with her hands as she looked down, "I know, I guess I was a bit harsh with him but he upset me when he said what he said about Strobe...I respect you guys, you've been like a real family to me and...well...I don't want to lose that," Beth looked up at Sideswipe her brown eyes soft and expressionate revealing her vulnerability.

Sideswipe stroked her arm, "Beth you are never going to lose that, sweetspark," Sideswipe assured her, "Nothing your brother says to us or about one of us is going to make us love you any less Beth..." Sideswipe looked at her intently, his soft blue optics meeting her brown ones. She looked into them, searching for the reassurance she needed and accepting it when he gave it to her.

Strobe couldn't help but feel sorry for the soldier and felt guilty for wanting to hurt her, but that didn't mean she had to like her,

"Would you like to come to the rec room for a while, we could have a talk, watch a movie," Sideswipe shrugged, "Whatever you want to do, Beth,"

"I'd like that." Beth replied.

Strobe walked silently through the corridors and back to her quarters. She didn't turn the light on, she just lay on her back on her berth, her arms supporting her head and let the sights and conversations flow through her processor. Strobe was confused, she had to admit that, she saw a vulnerablility in Beth she never thought a human could have.

The next morning Beth woke up and walked around her quarters with a big smile on her face. She was on a late shift today and that meant she had the morning to herself. She put on a pair of old jeans, an old t shirt and walked down the corridor humming to herself while walking with a bounce, her sandals clacking on the ground.

William watched her as her curls bounced up and down and smiled, "Well somebody's happy," he purred.

Beth turned around to see who just spoke to her, "Colonel Lennox," she replied, "How are you this morning?"

"I'm fine; I assume I don't need to ask how you are?" he asked as he bound up to her,

"I went out with the two best men on the base last night," she replied,

Would one of those men happen to be me?" Sideswipe's deep voice asked,

Beth looked at him, "Yes one of them would be you, Sideswipe," Beth replied with a smile.

"You had a good time then?" Wiliam asked,

"I did thank you Colonel Lennox," she replied, "I'm going to get a coffee, are you coming?"

"Disgusting stuff," Ratchet snarled as he walked past Beth,

"I could say the same for energon," Beth replied.

He popped his head around a corner, "It's healthy," he snipped,

"I'll take your word for it," she quipped.

Sideswipe laughed at her while William watched silently, "You're going to get yourself in trouble soon," he warned. Beth just laughed and went into the rec room for a coffee.

Aiden was already in there sitting with Joe and Mark. She caught Aiden's eye and he beckoned her over. The young soldier made a gesture with her finger that she would be there in a minute and poured herself a coffee. Mark saw her and walked up to her,

"Hello Gorgeous," he said.

Beth looked at him, "Hi Mark,"

Beth noticed how her hand was shaking a little bit and then she felt the tell tale fluttering in her stomach. She's had boyfriends before but this was different, this had the potential of being a little bit more serious. Beth turned back to him, his green eyes smiling at her. She blushed,

"...uhmm...,thank you...for last night. I had a great time,"

"You're welcome," Mark replied, "We'll do it again sometime,"

Roadbuster prodded Topspin in the ribs, "Looks like those two are becoming all lovey dovey."

Topspin looked at them and smiled, the two wreckers weren't the only ones who noticed the new relationship beginning to form. Other Autobots who were in the rec room noticed the change in Beth as well,

"**Well this is a new development**," Bumblebee said to Ratchet.

Mark invited her to sit with them; Beth followed willingly and sat between Aiden and Mark. The chat was light hearted and then Joe found an old pen lid which he flicked across to Mark, Mark caught it and flicked it to Aiden who flicked it to Joe who aimed it at Beth,

"I know," Joe said, "Let's split into teams," he looked at Mark and Beth, "You two against myself and Aiden, are you in,"

"We're in, best of three?" Beth asked,

"Okay, let's do it," Aiden said as he rubbed his hands, "Who gets first shot?"

"We've already got it so we get first shot," Beth replied.

Beth held her index finger under her thumb and let it go as hard as she could. The pen lid spun on the spot before making a bee line for Aiden and Joe. Joe caught it and flicked it back to Mark who caught it and flicked it across the table to Aiden. Aiden caught it and flicked it to Beth but it lifted off the table. Beth tried to catch it but it slipped through her hands,

"Yeah," Joe and Aiden yelled as they raised their hands in the air.

The Autobots watched them with a curiosity as they continued with their game. This time Beth flicked the pen lid but she hit her nail on the table sending the lid off the table and across to the table where Bumblebee and Sideswipe were sitting. They picked up the pen lid and looked at each other. There was a buzz before two holoforms made their way across to the humans' table to join in the game. Sideswipe joined Mark and Beth while Bumblebee joined Joe and Aiden.

They flicked it towards each other relentlessly as each team entered the competition to be the best. The game got noisy and boisterous but they were enjoying themselves. However one grumpy Autobot found this all rather annoying especially when the pen lid left the table flew through the air and plopped into a certain medic's energon cube. He fished out the pen lid and looked at them thoughtfully. Their smiles disappeared as he considered giving the offending pen lid to them or not,

"Ratchet can we have it back, please?" Beth asked,

"No," Ratchet replied, as he placed the pen lid next to him, "You're too noisy and it is a dangerous game,"

"Oh come on," Joe said, "It's a small pen lid, what is so dangerous about that?"

"That is being used as a missile. That makes it dangerous," Ratchet replied,

"Oh come on, we were just having a game," Beth argued,

"No," Ratchet replied, "This is a rec room not a sparkling's play room,"

Beth growled, "What does it take to have some fun around here?"

"Well, I've got to go," Mark said,

"Yeah, I have to go too," Joe yawned, "There is a comfortable bed waitng for me,"

"Were you on night shift?" Beth asked,

"Yes," Joe stood up and took his cup to the sink, "Catch you all later,"

"Later Joe," Beth sang and the she turned to Aiden, "Listen, I want to apologize for the way I spoke to you yesterday. I was unfair,"

"No Beth, I'm the one that needs to apologize. I did disappear on you and that wasn't fair. You are right I can't spend my life running I need to get back to my family now that Simon is taken care of. Beth I behaved like a coward, I'm sorry,"

Beth looked at him, her brown eyes soft and compassionate, "Aiden, I have already forgiven you, now you need to forgive yourselves and learn to trust these guys too. They won't cause us harm; they have been protecting us from harm because of the Decepticons. They're the ones you needed to fear,"

"Yeah but Strobe...,"

"Strobe is a victim in all of this. She has been hurt by you it will take her time to learn to trust us. Aiden I'm not going to say what you did was right because it wasn't. The Autobots were fighting to save us while other humans were imprisoning one of them for experimentation, that makes us no better than the cons,"

"Only those who were involved Beth," Ratchet said as he looked at Aiden with accusation, "We understand that there are members of the human race who do not know us and would fear us if they did but we also have allies who have become our friends, however we also understand there are those who hate us and would rather see us gone."

"Yeah, like that's going to happen any time soon," Ratchet looked at her, he knew how quickly the humans had formed a bond with them and Beth was no exception, her and Sideswipe were beginning to become as thick as thieves and Beth would be hurt if they left; but inevitably it would be the humans who would be the ones to decide their fate. Beth looked at him, he saw the fear in her eyes, "And it won't will it, Ratchet?"

Ratchet felt sorry for her he bent down and scooped her up, "My dear Beth we plan to be here for a long time," he assured her as he pushed a rebellious curl behind her ear. Aiden watched the interaction between Beth and the medic, and he felt slightly jealous of the relationship she had with these mechanical beings. Ratchet was so gentle and caring to his sister it was almost surreal. The only way the young man could describe it was like a father reassuring his young child when things were not going well.

Beth swivelled around in Ratchet's hand and wrapped both of her arms around his thumb and hugged him while he gently stroked her back comfortingly, "I love you guys," she said, "You make an awesome family and with God in my life too I couldn't have it any better," Ratchet chuckled at her as he continued to stroke her back,

"Thank you, Beth," he replied, "We would certainly miss you especially Sideswipe, I just wish Strobe would feel the same way," Ratchet said wistfully,

"She will Ratchet, give her time. She just needs to learn to trust us and understand we aren't all like Simon. I just hope I can do that,"

"You can Beth, that's why Optimus Prime chose you,"

"I feel honoured that he chose me..."

"Well I don't," Strobe replied as she strode gracefully into the rec room and glared at Beth, "I do not wish to have anything to do with that disgusting little squishy as long as she's associated with that poor excuse of an organic. She's guilty by association, they're no better than the Decepticons...either of them!" she snarled

Ratchet quickly closed his hands around Beth to protect her from any harm; he slowly stood up and walked toward her,

"You watch who you're talking about," Aiden yelled from where he was standing.

Strobe looked down at him disdainfully, "Who do you think you're talking to? Don't you know I only have to step on you? The only thing that is stopping me is the mess you'll make under my foot,"

"My sister had nothing to do with what happened to you, you should show her some respect," Strobe stood there for a minute, her blue eyes boring into Aiden, "She's a human why should I?"

"Because she is our friend, Strobe," Ratchet replied, "Beth desires no harm or malice to you, neither has she shown you any and despite what Aiden has done to you, you should at least try and forgive him."

"Forgive, for what he did to me? Pfft. No human will ever receive my forgiveness,"

"Strobe, we are the ones at fault here, we brought the war to this planet because of the Allspark. Countless numbers of innocent lives have been lost because of the Decepticons, people have lost homes and livelihoods and yet they have still allowed us to stay on their world, despite the destruction we caused and bringing out war to his planet in the first place. Why do you think that is?" Strobe looked at Ratchet, she couldn't give an answer.

Strobe looked from Aiden to Ratchet and then the tiny female watching her through Ratchet's fingers, "It may be as you say Ratchet but I still don't trust them,"

"Maybe not now, but you will learn to trust them, Strobe. We have all learned to trust each other; the learning curve has been just as hard for the humans as it has for us. You ask Bumblebee, it was a long time before Sam and Mikaela learnt to trust him. And that was only because Barricade was on their tail, amd how about Colonel Lennox. When he took Ironhide home he and his wife learnt to trust Ironihde with Annabelle who was just a baby when they met."

Strobe thought back to the picture of Ironhide in his human form holding Annabelle with Sarah standing beside him. She looked back down at Aiden and then back at Beth who was now standing up in between Ratchet's fingers. She seemed to be thinking as she looked back at Ratchet who nodded his assurance that she was going to be okay but the femme wasn't so sure. She closed her eyes and allowed air to pass through her vents before she opened them again,

"Alright, but only her," Strobe pointed to Beth with a slender finger,

"That's a good place to start," Ratchet replied.

Strobe looked down at Aiden, "Don't expect anything from me for a long time," she snarled, she took one more look at Beth before she left the rec room wondering if she could actually do what Ratchet had asked of her.

* * *

><p>How will things go with Beth and Strobe?<p>

More coming soon.


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer; my oc's in this story are Beth, Strobe, Aiden, Simon and the lawyer. The other characters in this story do not belong to me, they belong to Hasbro and Michael Bay.**

* * *

><p>Chapter 10<p>

Investigation.

The smartly dressed lawyer sat in front of Simon reading the file, he had cropped blonde hair, blue eyes and wore an expensive looking suit. On his left hand sat a wedding band, it was shiny and looked new. Simon assumed he was newlywed maybe a few months to a year. The lawyer rubbed his eyebrow with his fingers and sighed before looking at him with a serious expression,

"I really don't know how well your case is going to go, you tried to kidnap Beth Amersham, threatened Aiden Amersham at gun point, broke and entered into Aiden's apartment for malicious purposes and held an alien species for reasons of...research...you say." He said as he flipped the pages to the file over.

Simon shrugged his shoulders and smirked; the lawyer threw his pen on the table and looked over his glasses, "You might not have hired me but you have got me, at the moment I am all you have. I am your only friend. The government department that deals with the Autobots and NEST want to see you go down for this. Personally I have my own opinions about the situation but I also have my reasons. You...at the moment from where I stand don't have a leg to stand on. Have I made myself clear?"

"Yes sir," Simon replied,

The lawyer looked at him across the table, he placed his silver rimmed glasses back on his face, "Hm," he grunted as he looked down at the file,

"I have looked at some of the evidence, it really goes against you and more investigations are taking place. I believe they're going out to the research facility where you were holding the Autobot and they are questioning your colleagues. Is there anything else you would like to add that would go in your favour?"

"No sir," Simon replied meekly.

The lawyer raised his eyebrows and shut his file, "I will be back to speak to you again, hopefully I can find evidence that will put the case in your favour but I have to warn you it doesn't look very good." He placed the file in the bag with his laptop and zipped it up firmly.

Simon looked down at the table; his handcuffed hands lay flat on the table, palms down, fingers spread out. He looked back up at the lawyer, "How long will I get?"

"I don't know it depends on the judge. There is one who is sympathetic to those involved and he will swing in favour of the prosecutor"

Simon winced, that was not the news he wanted to hear, the lawyer got up from the chair and nodded at the guard on the other side of the door.

The lawyer took one last look at Simon before leaving. When he was at the main enrance tothe prison he placed his laptop on the floor between his legs and held out his arms so that he could be frisked by the guard, "What do you think of all this stuff with Chicago and giant alien robots?" he asked the lawyer.

The young man looked at him and smiled, "I reserve judgement," he replied, "If the stories are true then we should be grateful because they saved our butts,"

The guard looked at him with all sincerity, "I suppose you're right but I don't like the thought of these things being on our planet,"

The guard handed the lawyer a board with a sheet so that the lawyer could sign out. He scribbled his signature on the sheet and then tucked his pen into his pocket and picked up his laptop, "Then don't think about it," he replied, "I'll be back in a few days,"

The sunshine was bright...too bright after being in the artificial lighting of the prison, the lawyer put on his glasses and walked to the car. The young man placed his hands on the wheel and thought about the terrible events that unfolded on that day, and the sight of the people running for their lives shot by the seeker and disintegrated. He still had nightmares about that now. A tear came to his eye as he pulled out his Blackberry and sent a text his wife,

::_Love you darling. I always will::_ A heart and kiss emoticon came back almost instantaneously.

* * *

><p>Beth was sitting at her position on the walkway watching the computer. She knew about the blip representing the Decepticon shuttle carrying Prowl, Sunstreaker, Moonracer and First Aid. Optimus Prime walked up behind her and spoke making the young woman jump.<p>

She swivelled around in her chair, "Optimus Prime," she said as she placed her hand on her chest, "You're so huge, how do you manage to creep up behind somebody like that?"

Optimus Prime noticed how different the young woman looked with her curls tightly coiled behind her head and in her army greens. He chuckled at her surprise and apologized for making her jump,

"I've come to see how you are and see how close the ship is getting to the earth's atmosphere,"

"Haven't you heard from them?" she asked,

"No, they're maintaining silence, for their own protection and ours,"

"Why? Aren't all the Decepticons dead, I thought we'd'...,"

"No there are many more, somewhere out there. The further away they are the better,"

"I second that one," Beth replied as she swung around and looked at the tiny dot on the screen, "I'd say they have another day before they hit earth's atmosphere, approximately."

She moved out of the way of the screen to allow the Autobot leader to see the dot. Beth heard a buzzing behind her and then Prime's holoform stood beside her, he bent over to look at the screen,

"They're making good progress, it is good to see," he replied,

"Who is on the ship?" Beth asked,

"Sunstreaker, Prowl, First Aid and I believe they have picked up a femme called Moonracer," Prime replied.

Beth turned around and looked at Optimus Prime with wide eyes, "Sunstreaker...isn't that Sideswipe's brother?" she asked,

Prime realized his mistake and looked at her, "Yes," he said, "But Sideswipe is not to know, Sunstreaker wants it kept a secret,"

Beth smiled at Prime and did a zip motion across her face, "My lips are sealed," she replied,

"I knew I could rely on you," Optimus Prime replied warmly, "How are you going with Strobe?"

Beth remembered the conversation this morning, "Okay...I guess," she replied, "I haven't seen her since this morning. I know she's been hurt but she needs to learn to trust us,"

"She will," Optimus replied, "She only knows the humans who held her under captivity, be patient, Beth,"

"I am Optimus Prime."

Beth continued with her work while Optimus continued to walk through the base. She heard the sound of a powerful engine and then the sound of shifting metal and gears and smiled. There was a series of clicks and a gentle poke in her back. Beth turned around to find Sideswipe grinning at her,

"How is my favourite soldier, today?" he asked.

Beth stroked his nose quickly and laughed, "Who is your favourite soldier, Sideswipe?"

Sideswipe looked slightly offended, "Don't you know?"

Beth looked at him, "No," she replied as she smiled,

"You are," he replied,

Beth placed her hands on her chest, "Me?" she asked in mock surprise,

"Yes you," Sideswipe replied with a big smile,

"Oh Sides," she laughed and kissed him on the nose.

"Because I'm your guardian and you kissed me on my nose I'll let you get away with Sides," he narrowed his optics and pointed at her as he accentuated each word, "Just. ,"

"Ok...Sides," Beth replied and laughed.

"Come here, you," Sideswipe said as he went to grab her. Beth squealed and jumped backwards earning her a filthy glare from other workers.

Strobe heard the squeal and went to investigate its origins. She leaned against the doorframe with her arms folded and looked at looked at Beth who was still happily playing with Sideswipe, a half smile formed on her face. For some reason or other she found Beth to be different from the other humans, she was amiable and as much as Strobe hated to admit it, she was ok to be around. Beth caught Strobe watching from a distance and called her,

"Hi Strobe, come over here."

Strobe narrowed her optics at her, "You wouldn't happen to be ordering me around, would you little human?"

"No," Beth replied, "I'm simply inviting you to join us," Strobe looked at her for a moment, "Come on," Beth continued, "You can't spend the rest of your days spying on me,"

An alarm sounded behind Beth she turned around quickly to see what was happening, another light had appeared on the radar and it was quickly moving towards the dot which symbolised the shuttle Prowl and the others were in, "Oh no," Beth said quickly. She looked at Sideswipe, "Call Optimus Prime quickly,"

"Why what's happening?" he asked as he opened his comm link.

"Just do it!" Beth bellowed,

"Hey don't you speak to Sideswipe like that," Strobe yelled as she walked over to Beth. Beth glared at her,

"Now is not the time, Strobe," she snapped and called William to the control center.

Sideswipe could see that Strobe was not going to settle with that and took her to the rec room out of the way, "Let me know if you need me," he called back,

"I will," Beth replied.

Charlotte and William were sat in the office in deep discussion about the investigation that was taking place. She wanted the Autobots to be involved in it as much as possible being as how it involved Strobe directly.

There was a heavy atmosphere in the office as William and Charlotte looked at each other,

"I have been sent here because the team investigating the case wants evidence from the Autobot who was directly affected,"

"That is nothing to do with me," William said, "You need to go directly through Optimus Prime, he has the authority over the Autobots,"

Charlotte looked at him over her glasses, "Don't you have control over the base, Colonel?" she asked in a harsh tone,

"Yes I do but Strobe is an Autobot and therefore you need to speak to Optimus." He leaned forward and placed both hands on the desk, "May I remind you Charlotte that this is a very sensitive matter especially as the humans were holding her captive. It is therefore in the interest of diplomacy that we go through Optimus Prime."

Beth's voice came over the link into his office, "William we have a problem,"

"I'm coming Beth," he replied and looked at Charlotte, "I will speak to Optimus Prime and let you know. I need to attend to this now,"

William ushered Charlotte out of the office and raced down towards the command center where Prime was already standing.

"Look," Beth said as she pointed to the radar.

William and Optimus looked at the screen, "Decepticons!" Prime snarled.

He opened his comm link and tried to get straight through to Prowl but it wasn't working. There was a buzz and his holoform stood next to Beth again,

"Excuse me, Beth,"

The young soldier moved out of the way so that Prime could stand in front of the consul.

The signal on the radar representing the new Autobots coming in disappeared,

"Oh no, they've gone," Beth said,

"They have shut down everything down," Optimus replied.

Optimus Prime, William and Beth plus some other soldiers who were on duty with Beth gathered around the radar and watched as the shuttle drifted towards them.

* * *

><p>Things were relaxed on the shuttle as it steadily made its way toward the earth's atmosphere. The Autobots on the shuttle had got used to seeing the big blue planet which was rapidly growing in size and looking forward to meeting up with their leader and friends. Sunstreaker was in charge while Prowl was taking a much needed recharge and First Aid was checking over Moonracer's systems. A signature came on the radar which alerted the frontline warrior to trouble,<p>

"Hey guys, we have company,"

At the same time Optimus Prime's voice came through radio link,

"Sunstreaker here, go ahead Prime," he called

"You have company coming towards you," Optimus said,

"Yes, we've picked it up,"

Prowl raced up to Sunstreaker, "Shut everything down," he barked.

Prowl looked out of the window at the approaching ship,

"There's no sign of life," he said.

"Yeah and it's heading straight for us," Sunstreaker said as he turned the wheel, "Prepare for impact,"

The Autobots on the shuttle braced themselves as the derelict shuttle drifted towards them, "Prowl, I don't like this, something isn't right here, that shuttle is coming in too fast to just be an empty shuttle,"

"You're right," Prowl replied, "The shuttle is rigged. It's gonna blow and take us with it!"

Sunstreaker fired up the engines and powered their shuttle out of the way of the empty one just as it burst into flames. The fireball chased the Autobot's shuttle, the Autobots hang onto whatever they could as the shuttle shook violently from the shockwaves caused by the explosion. It took everything Sunstreaker had to keep it from being thrown around.

Finally the shuttle stabilsed and the Autobots slowly moved back to their positions. Sunstreaker tried to power up the engines but there was nothing,

"Come on," he growled.

He tried again and smiled as they slowly hummed back to life, "Oh yes," he cheered as one by one the shuttle's systems slowly came online.

* * *

><p>There was a tense silence among the humans gathered around the screen waiting to hear from the Autobots on earth. There were no dots on the radar which worried Optimus Prime. A dot came back on the screen and a crackling noise sounded through the radio,<p>

"Optimus Prime this is Autobot Prowl, do you copy,"

Prime smiled, "Loud and clear, Prowl are all on board safe?"

"Safe and well sir, just a few minor injuries,"

A cheer rose among the humans as Prime continued his convesation with Prowl.

* * *

><p>Beth had finished her shift for the day and after the events of the morning she was really looking forward to having to a relaxing afternoon. If only it could be so. As she walked back to her quarters she was greeted by Strobe in her holoform. The femme stopped in front of her and looked at her with angry optics,<p>

"You know I could report you for the way you spoke to Sideswipe. You know Ratchet gave you a warning about it,"

Beth scowled at the femme, "So...report me. It was an emergency and you were going to have a go at me,"

Strobe glared at her, "Don't you care?"

Beth looked at her and threw her hands in the air with frustration, "Strobe why don't you just get over yourself, so you had a rough deal, so my brother was involved in your torture, so you lost your brother. I'm sorry for those things happening to you but why don't you just move on. I mean...all you do is just go around feeling sorry for yourself, spying on me. You aren't the only one who has suffered," Beth pointed to herself, "I have no family, I've been passed around from pillar to post separated from the only family I have left, nearly killed in an alien war and discover my brother is involved in a whole heap of trouble so you're not the only one who is hard done go and report me, if that's going to make you feel better."

"It's not about feeling better, human, it's about _you..." _Strobe pointed at Beth, "...knowing your place,"

"I know my place, do you know yours?" Beth replied as she folded her arms. Strobe walked up to her and slapped Beth around the face.

Beth knew that her teeth had gone through her bottom lip so when she saw the blood on her hand after she wiped her lip she wasn't surprised. She glared at Strobe, her eyes burning, "I don't know why anybody would bother with you," she croaked as she walked past Strobe, "You're damaged goods."

Beth took a towel and wet it, she dabbed at her lip to clean it and held it there until the bleeding had stopped. Already she could feel the lip and side of her face swelling but she didn't want to go and get ice for it. Somebody would see her and ask questions, that would only cause more trouble between her and Strobe. Her head was aching so Beth took two pain killers and lay on her bed to wait for it to go.

Strobe watched her as she walked down the corridor and disappear into her quarters. She bit her lip and put her head down as Optimus Prime's words rang through her processor, "_We don't hurt the humans."_ She didn't mean to hit Beth that hard. Strobe sighed and walked up to Beth's quarters and knocked on her door,

"Who is it?" Beth called,

"Strobe," the Autobot femme replied, "I hurt you, I'm sorry,"

"Go away," Beth replied,

"Not until you accept my apology," Strobe retorted,

"You can't force her to accept your apology," Strobe turned around to find Sideswipe standing behind her. She looked down ashamed of what had happened, "What did you do?" he sighed,

"I hit her," she replied.

Sideswipe raised his eyebrows, "Nice going, Strobe," he replied, "That's certainly going to get you on her side,"

"I know I messed up,"

Sideswipe knocked on her door, "Beth it's me Sideswipe,"

"Go away," Beth replied,

"Beth, come on. I just want to talk to you,"

"Well I don't want to talk to anybody right now,"

"Beth, I need to apologise to you," Strobe called out.

Beth rolled her eyes and slowly punched in the code to open the door. Sideswipe looked in horror at Beth's face and then turned to Strobe,

"How hard did you hit her?"

"Quite hard," she replied quietly,

Sideswipe turned back to Beth, "You need to go and get that treated," he said, "I'll take you to Ratchet,"

"No, I'm fine," she replied, "Ratchet has enough to do without worrying about me,"

"You need to get it looked at,"

"Then I'll see the army medic," she replied, "Later, I have a headache."

"Promise?" Sideswipe asked,

"I promise," she croaked.

Beth allowed her door to slide shut and once again she was in the peaceful darkness of her quarters. Sideswipe looked at Strobe and scowled, "I'm not happy with leaving her like that, I'm going to speak to Ratchet."

Sideswipe went off to find Ratchet leaving Strobe standing there alone looking sad.

Optimus Prime was just on his way back to his office when he saw Strobe standing there alone,

"Are you okay, Strobe?"

She shut her eyelids, that was all she needed right now. She heard the sound of Prime's holoform materialise and stand in front of her. She looked at him as he took her hand,

"Would you like to go out for a drive, it's a nice day and you look like you could do with a break."

"Optimus Prime..." Strobe looked down, "...I've...just..."

He looked at her with kindness, "You've just what? Tell me Strobe,"

"I hurt Beth,"

Optimus looked toward Beth's door and scowled, "What did you do?"

"I hit her, she said something to me and I just...lost...control,"

Prime pinched the bridge of his nose, this was not what he wanted to hear, "So you haven't dealt with that temper of yours since I last spoke to you,"

"No sir," Strobe replied,

He looked at her, "I have said to you we don't hurt the humans. I was going to ask you if you want to go out with me but we have to deal with this first."

"Yes sir," Strobe replied meekly.

Beth could hear the noises of voices talking outside and tried to shut them out. Her head throbed painfully as she moved to a more comforable position and shut her eyes again. She heard her door swish open and heard Ratchet calling her. As she turned over she saw his optics looking at her,

"Sideswipe, I said I'd get a human...,"

"That's enough young lady, Sideswipe is your guardian and he did the right thing coming to get me," he replied as he shone a torch in her eyes,

"That hurts," she moaned.

Ratchet looked at Sideswipe, "She's not concussed but I will take her back to the med bay to keep an eye on her and stitch up that cut for her,"

"I'm fine," Beth protested, "Let me stay here,"

"No." Ratchet replied, "You need treatment,"

Beth felt him slide her arm under her body, "My head hurts," she cried,

"Okay," Ratchet replied more gently.

* * *

><p>Strobe sat in front of Prime as he read her report, he looked at her with a sadness and then an idea came to his processor. The femme was always better at talking in a more relaxed environemt so maybe taking her out would help her, "Come with me," he said<p>

"What?" Strobe asked. Prime chuckled at the look of puzzlement on her face as he left the office,

"**Bumblebee, I'm taking Strobe out for a while, you're in charge,"**

**"Yes** **sir**," Bumblebee replied.

Optimus prime took a drive with Strobe so that she could have an understanding of human culture, how they lived and pastimes. They had stopped at a nearby forest and parked their vehicle modes and they were now walking along the forest path in their holoforms. Strobe looked at the light dancing on the path as the trees blew in the breeze, it was autumn but still quite warm. She looked up and noticed how some of the leaves were changing color,

"Optimus Prime, why are the leaves different colors?"

"Earth is a seasonal place; we are moving from summer into the fall," he replied, "The leaves will change colour and then fall off the trees,"

"Oh," she replied a little puzzled, "Oh but...," she sighed as she tried to understand the mechanics of seasonal changes, "...It always seems what is good dies, why?"

"The trees grow new leaves in spring,"

Strobe looked at him shocked, "How can they, they're dead," she replied,

Optimus Prime chuckled, "No, the trees aren't dead...just the leaves," Prime replied.

They continued to walk along the path, the sound of their feet crunching on the dried dirt underneath their boots. The gentle breeze lifted Strobe's jet black hair as she walked next to Prime. A silence had fallen between them as they carried on walking, taking their steps in unison to each other. Strobe looked up at Optimus Prime,

"Do you miss her?" she asked sadly. Optimus Prime looked down at her; she saw the expression on his face turn from one of a quiet contentment to one of sadness. Strobe looked down, "I'm sorry," she said, "I shouldn't have asked that,"

"No Strobe it is good to talk," he replied gently, "I miss her terribly." His spark felt heavy as he remembered the rapidly fading memory of the last time he went into battle with Elita. He shut his eyes for a brief minute and sighed as he remembered her dulcet voice, her gentle touch and her embrace. There was now an empty void in his life, a void that never went away, "I miss all of them but Elita the most,"

"I will never know what it is like to lose a spark mate," Strobe replied, "But I do know what it is like to miss a loved one. Do you know Jazz and I were going to be bonded before the war broke out, we had talked about it so much," she stopped and looked at the view in the clearing they had come to. There was a haze over the mountains in the horizon and the sound of a distant dog barking could be heard on the breeze, "So near and yet so far," she said quietly,

Optimus Prime placed a hand on her shoulder, "I'm sorry," he said quietly.

Strobe shook her head, "Don't be," she replied as she continued to look toward the horizon, "What is done is done. I have to move on but right now I am not ready to. I need to hold onto Ironhide and Jazz, their memories. They are all I have of them."

Prime noticed how heavy and sad her voice sounded, he just wanted to hold onto her and take the pain away but they were all familiar with pain right now. For a brief moment he remembered the great race they once were until they were hauled into war by the Decepticons. He remembered playing with his brother as children. The echo of their laughter resounded through his memory banks, but it was soon lost to the heavy burden of what Megatron became and how he had killed him. Optimus Prime looked at his hands, hands which had the capability to embrace and love and to kill, _"Why Megatron?"_ he thought.

Optimus Prime looked at Strobe, "It will get easier," he said, "Their memories will live on here and here," he pointed to Strobe's head and area of her chest where her spark would be. Strobe stood there for a brief moment silently and then she wrapped her arms around Prime's waist.

Optimus Prime was wearing a cotton white shirt with thin royal blue stripes and a pair of blue jeans. Around his waist was a thick leather belt and around his neck hang a long gold chain with the Autobot symbol hanging from it. She like the feel of his firm body under her fingers, it made him seem tangible and real in his holoform and that was comforting for the femme.

"Help me," she simply said.

Prime stroked her black hair, "I will help you," he promised. Optimus Prime's comm. Link pinged with Lennox's pager number,

"**Go ahead, William,"** he said,

"**Sorry to disturb you, Optimus Prime but Charlotte here wants to speak to you about the investigation," **

Optimus Prime sighed, "**Okay, we'll come back."**

He looked down at Strobe who still had her hands around his waist and she was now looking up at him, it reminded Optimus of Elita who used to do that, "We have to go back," he said,

She frowned, "Why?" There was a sharp tone in her voice, "Do we always have to do what the humans want?"

"No. Just this time. Charlotte wants to speak to us about the investigation."

The two Autobots walked back into the base in their bi pedal modes and up to Charlotte and William who were sitting on the chairs on the catwalk. They were both holding coffee cups and talking casually about nothing in particular. There was a relaxed feeling in the base and the Autobots who weren't out doing things were sitting idly recharging or chatting among themselves. They both stood up to greet Optimus and Strobe,

"William, Charlotte," Optimus said as he held onto the bars.

Optimus Prime knew Charlotte hadn't met Strobe yet officially and thought that an introduction would be a good place to start,

"Pleased to meet you," Charlotte said as she held out her hand. Strobe looked at it and then up at her before she reluctantly held out hers but didn't say anything. She noticed how Charlotte's fingers felt cold and bony. Not nice at all.

William watched the introduction nervously relieved that Strobe didn't say anything to offend the woman. Charlotte looked back at Optimus Prime,

"Optimus Prime, as you know we have been running an investigation regarding Simon and the installation he was running. We now would like to ask Strobe some questions and ask if she would be willing to come with us...,"

"I am here, why don't you ask me," Strobe said abrasively,

"I beg your pardon?" Charlotte asked indignantly,

"I'm here, speak to me," Strobe replied, "It affects me, so why aren't you speaking to me?"

Charlotte glared at Strobe and then turned to William, "You said I needed to go through Optimus Prime first," Strobe looked at Prime and scowled, he shook his head,

"Well yes I did," William replied, "But Strobe is here now so we should speak to her and Optimus Prime,"

"Okay," Charlotte replied and turned to Strobe, "Would you accompany us to the facility where you were held? It would help us greatly in our investigations and answer questions for us,"

"Like what?" Strobe asked, "Maybe I can answer some now,"

Optimus Prime turned to her; he looked concerned for the femme especially as he didn't know what line of questioning the Director of Intelligence would ask.

"What sort of things did they do to you?"

Strobe looked at her, her face went pale as the memories of what happened came flooding back,

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Prime asked.

Strobe nodded, "My ship was hit as I tried to get some information to Optimus Prime I had found out. Information which could have made a difference to our battle on Cybertron and it would most certainly have saved Chicago. My navigation systems were knocked out and I went into stasis..."

"By stasis, she means unconscious," William said to Charlotte,

"When I came around I was locked in this cylinder with humans surrounding me, all looking at me. I tried to tell them I needed to find Optimus Prime but they couldn't understand me so I struggled against my restraints to get free, but all they did was overload my circuitry and that sent me into stasis,

"Overload your circuitry...what does that do?" Charlotte asked,

"Apart from the pain a transformer feels when their circuitry is overloaded...," everybody turned around to look at the approaching medic," "...It damages circuitry, burns out systems; at the worst it can overload the processor and kill a Cybertronian similar to a human suffering a brain haemorrhage. When that damage is done there is very little we can do and the best thing for them is to comfort them as they die...if it hasn't killed them already," Ratchet replied as he came and stood beside Strobe, "As you can see, despite the severe damage she incurred from them they didn't cause damage to her processor although, she didn't have that much longer to go. She is lucky she escaped when she did,"

Charlotte turned back to Strobe, "What else happened?"

"Like I said, I was out a lot but I do remember seeing energon in a canister on the consul nearest to Aiden who was studying it, and they had cut away at my armour and protoform" she replied,

"Can you verify that?" Charlotte asked Ratchet,

"Her armour yes, her protoform no. We have a unique healing ability which works far more quickly than you humans,"

"What is energon?" Charlotte asked,

"Our blood," Ratchet said,

"Where is it now?"

"They mentioned something about a vault and how they should experiment on it to see what values it would have for human purposes,"

"I can assure you; Charlotte that energon is not and never will be fit for human consumption,"

Charlotte looked at Ratchet and then a darker more sinister thought crossed her mind, "If it is not fit for human consumption then it would be a poison right?"

"That's right?"

The medic watched as Charlotte worked through various scenarios of what it could be used for. She looked at William,

"I know what you're thinking and yes it could," William replied,

"Care to fill us in?" Prime asked,

"If the energon gets into the wrong hands it could be used as a chemical weapon."

"Which would harm humans," Ratchet replied,

"When you say harm humans are you talking about...poisoning?" Charlotte asked,

"Yes," Ratchet replied, "A painful death," he scratched an optic ridge, "We're talking about interference with blood composition, it would eat an organic from inside out."

Charlotte looked at him and swallowed, that was not what she wanted to hear. She now had to tell her superior that there was a dangerous substance which could cause untold problems if it got into the right hands, "Then we must find that energon and destroy it."

* * *

><p>Uh oh!<p>

More coming soon.


	11. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer; Transformers aren't mine** e**xcept my oc's; Beth, Aiden, Mark and Strobe.**

* * *

><p>Chapter 11<p>

Reunion.

Autobots and humans alike made the long drive to the installation where Strobe was held. Beth was among them and feeling frustrated by the position she had found herself in. There was Aiden who looked to her for support and then there was Strobe who harboured ill feelings towards humans. She was between a rock and a hard place and she didn't like it! She knew she had to support her brother but what if there was more to this then he was telling her? What would she do then? On top of that was the pain Beth was still in from the hit she received from Strobe and right now she wished she could stay home; but that was not an option because Strobe requested her presence on the trip...so the young woman could understand why Strobe was feeling the way she was, and Optimus Prime agreed. Beth believed it was to try and pull a guilt trip on her because of Aiden's involvement and she was determined not to let it work.

Sideswipe knew she was quieter than normal and wanted to help her through this. He knew that what had happened to Beth the other day really had an impact on the already fragile relationship she had with Strobe which was now even more strained. Beth was silent and who could blame her, her face was still sore and bruised and it hurt the young woman to eat or drink anything. The silver mech was still annoyed with the femme and he hadn't said much to her at all since she hit his charge, who wasn't speaking to him either. The frontline warrior looked at her and took a hold of her hand to squeeze it reassuringly. She looked up at him and smiled as much as she could without her stitches hurting her too much,

"I'm not mad at you, Sideswipe," Beth said, "It was partly my fault as well for saying what I did,"

"Beth, she still had no right to hit you, she knows that we don't harm the humans but she did." Sideswipe replied

"Is that all we are to you, Sideswipe? Just humans, an inferior species, even after standing beside you in three battles? Well...I didn't but you know what I mean,"

"Yes I do and no that is not all you are to us, Beth and you know that." he replied as he gave her a sideways glance, "You and the other members of NEST have become our closest allies but I'm sorry if I said anything to hurt you,"

"That's okay Sideswipe, I forgive you," Beth replied quietly.

An uneasy silence fell upon Beth and Sideswipe before he spoke again, "Beth I've been thinking about you and me a lot and I don't want to be just your guardian, I want be your friend as well."

Beth looked at him confused, "I thought we were friends," she replied,

"You did?" he asked,

"Yes, you were the one that came and visited me when I was home from the hospital, you were the one that rescued me from Simon and you were the one that was there when Aiden disappeared. If that's not being a friend then what is?"

"I thought that when I became your guardian you were angry with me and that changed our relationship,"

"I was angry with you but it didn't change our relationship, besides which you're a pretty cool guardian. I mean how many other women get to be driven around in a car like you,"

Sideswipe chuckled, "Okay, so you're just using me for status," he teased,

"What? No..." Beth said indignantly but stopped when she saw his holoform laughing at her.

Optimus Prime had stayed close by Strobe for most of the journey there but she drew even closer to him as they entered the car park to the research installation. Memories overwhelmed her processor as she looked at the building which now sat benignly with the gaping hole she had made half repaired. Strobe slowly transformed and walked slowly toward the tape cordoning off the area. She stood in front of the building silently, the noises and her screams of pain reverberating through her processor and shuttered her optics. Optimus Prime came and stood beside her and squeezed her hand reassuringly as Strobe slid her hand into his,

"I can't do this," she whispered,

"I'm right here, Strobe," Prime assured her.

Slowly the humans and the other Autobots with them gathered around Optimus Prime and Strobe. Aiden stood with Charlotte and Simmonds who had a hardened look on his face. He knew about this place and believed it too had been shut down, that was until Charlotte mentioned it the other day. He had offered to come with her for support and to offer any other information from his sector seven days. Bumblebee was the last one to join the group with Sam and Carly.

The Autobots swapped their bi pedal modes for their holoforms and walked into the area where Strobe was held. She looked around the room and noticed how all the computers and other instruments the humans had used were gone, even the tv. The box where she was kept was still up and so were the cuffs holding her, except they were burnt out and the wiring had melted. The Perspex was bubbly and tinged a brown colour where it had melted and the lino was torn. Strobe noticed how much more formidable everything looked from the point of view of a human. She felt Prime's arm around her shoulder pulling her closer to his side; it was comforting as she moved closer to him. She enjoyed the closeness of his presence, he was so strong and she felt safe by his side.

Ratchet looked at the box and the remaining contents, he couldn't help but think how convenient it was that most of the equipment was gone, most probably as evidence, he hoped; but most likely taken by the humans who _worked_ here so that nobody would know what happened here. Beth looked at the box and then Aiden with the expectation of an explanation. Aiden looked down, ashamed by the truth of what had happened. Charlotte turned to him,

"Could you explain to us how all this worked."

Aiden looked at her and gingerly stepped forward,

"Uhmm...," he rubbed the back of his neck, where was he supposed to start,

"Tell them Aiden," Strobe said sarcastically, "Start from the beginning, tell them about this supposed research, how you cut me up, probed me, prodded me, overloaded me. What were the words? Oh it's not human it feels no pain."

Aiden looked around at the Autobot's holoform, her deep blue eyes ablaze with anger and pain and he wished he wasn't there, anywhere else but where he was now. Right now that hole in the ground could have opened and swallowed him whole and he wouldn't have cared where it took him but alas no such thing would never happen and here he was answering to the Autobots, his sister and the government.

Bumblebee glared at the young man, "I've heard those words before," he snarled, "Let me tell you something Aiden Amersham. We...feel...pain...,"

Beth lowered her head and felt sorry for her brother while Sam stroked Bumblebee's arm and tried to calm him,

"Do you know what it's like to suffer, Aiden? Do you know what it's like to be helpless and feel pain? Do you know what it's like to have your dignity stripped away so there's nothing left, to be prodded and poked and have the energon sucked out of you? I suffered Aiden and you were right there with the rest of them." She left the building and sat on a step. Optimus Prime turned to Bumblebee and patted his shoulder,

"I'll be outside with Strobe, she shouldn't be alone right now,"

"Yes sir," Bumblebee replied,

Optimus Prime walked through the building and sat down on the step next to Strobe. She looked at him and crumbled into tears while he gathered her into his arms,

"Let it go, Strobe," he said gently, "It's good to cry, just let it go."

Charlotte went to insist she came back in but Ratchet put his hand on her arm; she was surprised with how warm and life like it felt, "Aiden owes us the explanation, Strobe doesn't. Leave her be, Prime will look after her."

Charlotte turned to Aiden, "Well...you heard him. What's your explanation?"

"The cuffs were used to hold Strobe and monitor her as well, that was how we worked out she was communicating...,"

"Trying to communicate..." Ratchet interjected indignantly, "...she didn't get through to Prime." He looked at the box and then at Aiden, "You most likely stopped the communications somehow,"

"Everything we had went into the computer files which would have been behind that consul there." Aiden pointed to the consul which was behind them, "I don't know where they are now or who cleared them away. The plan was to deal with Strobe and then deal with any incriminating evidence as Simon put it,"

Charlotte turned to Aiden, "So he knew that what was happening here was wrong,"

Aiden paused he must have known it was wrong or the emphasis wouldn't have been on secrecy, "Yes Ma'am," Aiden replied, "We all did, we were all warned about the dangers if what was happening here was to get out and we were all sworn to secrecy. We were also warned that if we left or tried to leave we would be stopped by whatever means possible. My friend tried it and he was killed." Aiden said sadly.

Beth shut her eyes, what Aiden had just said made him just as guilty as the rest of them,

"So Aiden, when you came to see me, exactly who were you were you running from. Simon or the law?"

Aiden turned to Beth, "Beth you must believe me when I say it was Simon, I didn't want to hunt her down like an animal especially when I saw what was happening in Chicago and how you were fighting for our freedom,"

"It's a bit hard to take," Sideswipe snarled, "You came to Beth knowing that she would offer you sanctuary, she could have been caught for harbouring a criminal,"

Aiden glared at Sideswipe who was looking at him with harsh sapphire accusation,

"No, it wasn't like that," he insisted, "I had nowhere to go. If I went back to my family I would have endangered them, Beth was my only other choice,"

"I can understand you wanting to keep your family safe but shouldn't that have included Beth?" Sideswipe replied,

"Where is the canister with the energon in it?" Charlotte asked.

Aiden was greatful for the distraction and turned to the Director of National Intelligence, "It's in the vault along with the specimens from Strobe." Ratchet found the referral of specimen quite offensive, it was almost like they saw Strobe as an experiment, "I'll go and get it," he said and made a hasty retreat but Charlotte stopped him,

"You're going nowhere on your own," she snipped, "William and Seymour take Aiden to the vaults and you two go as well."

The two suited men followed William and Simmonds down to the vault. Ratchet watched them as they left and decided he would follow them,

"Bumblebee!" he ordered, "With me!"

Bumblebee and Ratchet went in the direction of their friends and the two suited men. It was the medic's aim to make sure that anything of Strobe's would be returned back to NEST, he wanted nothing to be left here for the humans to continue experimenting on.

The door to the vault was open, the two holoforms stood on either side of the door while Aiden, Simmonds and William slowly walked in with two other soldiers from NEST. The light from outside shone into the vault, Aiden looked around, it was a mess. Somebody had ransacked it and thrown everything on the floor. Aiden looked up on the shelf,

"Oh no," he said quietly, "The canister has gone,"

"What do you mean gone?" William asked,

"Well it was here...in the vault...on this shelf... but it's gone,"

"Who can get in here," Simmonds asked,

"Anybody who knows the code," Aiden replied.

"How many is that?" William asked,

Aiden shrugged, "Two, Simon and myself. We were the ones working closely with Strobe. There were three but like I said before my friend was killed,"

"What sort of operation were you running here?" Robert asked.

Bumblebee came and stood next to Aiden and folded his arms. The young man swallowed, he was sure it was in here,

"Is there anywhere else?" William asked,

"No this is the only place where we'd keep it," he replied.

William looked around at the others standing nearby, Ratchet raised an eyebrow,

"This is not what I wanted to hear," he growled quietly,

"Alright let's go and report this bad news to Charlotte." William sighed.

Bumblebee stood next to Ratchet, "**If we don't find that canister then Ironhide, Jazz and everybody else would have died in vain,**" he said,

Ratchet patted him on the shoulder comfortingly, "**We'll find it, we have to,"** he replied.

* * *

><p>Strobe looked toward the car park where all their vehicle modes were sitting. The sun was up in the sky now and beating down on her, she could feel the warmth radiating through her body and it was nice. She turned to Optimus Prime; he saw softness in her face and her eyes,<p>

"This planet is beautiful," she said.

Prime smiled, "It is, Strobe and not everybody on this planet is like Simon or Aiden,"

"Optimus, it is going to take me a while to trust these humans. All I have known is what happened to me in there and it hurts me so much,"

"I know," Optimus quietly admitted, "But we are all here with you, Strobe."

Beth walked out of the building and down though the car park, it hadn't occurred to her that Aiden could have been in more trouble than he was admitting. She walked up to the fence that was the boundary to the car park and leaned against it with one leg on one of the rungs and her hands leaning on the top rung with her fingers loosely interlaced.

Beyond was a field with wild grasses and flowers dancing in the breeze happily and beyond that was a settlement nestled at the base of a mountain and then the mountain rising above the settlement. The sky was a pale watery blue dotted with fluffy white clouds just sitting on top of the mountain peaks. A cool breeze blew making Beth shiver a little bit which was a little strange considering it was still quite warm. A tear rolled down her cheek, _"Why Aiden? Why?"_ she thought to herself. The breeze blew Beth's curls away from her face and they played in the breeze. Sideswipe came and stood beside her, he laughed when he saw her curls bounce around her head and Beth playfully slapped him on the arm,

"Did you see that?" Strobe asked, "Beth hit him,"

Optimus was smiling as he watched the couple by the fence, a smile which showed the fine lines around his watery blue eyes,

"It was a playful tap," Prime said, "Sideswipe and Beth are developing a good relationship. It is one built on trust and friendship, Strobe and I know Beth would do nothing to hurt Sideswipe...or any of us,"

Strobe watched them closely, a cooler breeze blew and Beth shivered,

"Are you cold, princess?" Sideswipe asked,

He stood in front of her and pulled her into a hug to protect her from the cold. Beth laid her head against his chest and enjoyed the feeling of Sideswipe curling one of her curls around his fingers. She smiled a little bit before looking up at him with her chocolate brown eyes,

"Thank you," she said,

"What for?" he asked,

"For being my guardian,"

Sideswipe chuckled as he tightened his hold on her, "Your welcome," he replied.

Optimus heard his comm. Link ping and received Ratchet's message,

"Oh no," he sighed and got up. Strobe looked up at him,

"What has happened, Optimus Prime?"

He offered his hand to help her up and called Sideswipe and Beth over, "The canister with the energon has gone. Somebody has stolen it," he replied.

"Well that's a paradox," she said, "Something taken from me...an Autobot...who has fought to against evil and tyranny stolen for evil and tyranny."

Optimus prime and Sideswipe left to enter the building and Strobe was about to follow her but Beth grabbed her arm. Strobe turned to her and looked down at the hand tightly wrapped around her arm, Beth looked at Strobe with a deep sincerity,

"I don't know what happened to you in there, but I'm sorry for the part my brother played,"

Strobe placed a hand on Beth's arm and smiled a small smile, "Thank you Beth, for caring." She replied, "I don't deserve it after what I did to you,"

"You didn't deserve what happened to you in there either," Beth replied.

Strobe looked at her and then the building which Sideswipe and Prime were already entering. Strobe took Beth's arm,

"Come," she said, "Let's see what they have to say."

Simmonds looked at Aiden, "So we now have a canister of energon out there somewhere in who knows where for who knows what?" he said,

"Is there anybody else who would take it?" Charlotte asked,

"I don't think so," Aiden replied.

"He doesn't think so," Simmonds said slowly as he walked through the small crowd of holoforms and humans and stared the young man in the face, "That is half the problem...nobody thought!" he yelled,

"Is there anyway we can find out?" Charlotte asked.

Aiden shrugged his shoulders, "Hang on a minute, Simon had a diary in which he wrote all the events of the day in his desk. It should still be in a safe in his office, only I know the code,"

"Oh how jolly convenient," Simmonds snarled sarcastically,

"Sounds like this guy was in bed with Simon," Robert whispered quietly to William who nodded,

"Where is the office?" Ratchet asked,

"This way," Aiden replied and led them all through to the office.

He punched in the code to open the door, everything was exactly as Simon had left it. He walked up to the safe confidently and unlocked it and found the documents in the safe and the red leather bound diary,

"Uhmm...I can't seem to find it," he said as he pretended to rummage around a bit more, "Nope, it's not in here,"

He shut the safe and locked it again, "It seems to have gone," he said.

"He's lying!" Ratchet retorted angrily, "His pheromones have given him away,"

Aiden looked at Ratchet shocked, William rubbed the back of his head, "Uhmm Aiden, these guys...they kinda don't like the wool being pulled over their eyes."

"It's not there," he lied while he laughed,

"Aiden don't you get it?" Beth snapped, "They don't believe you and neither do I,"

"Beth trust me," Aiden insisted,

"No Aiden, you're lying it's in there. What are you scared of?" Beth argued

"He's scared of the truth," Strobe snarled, "He's involved in this more than you think, Beth,"

"Look it's like I said before, Simon is dangerous..."

"And behind bars," Charlotte interjected,

"Aiden you are safe here. Nobody will be allowed near you," Optimus said.

"Don't you understand? They know who I am," Aiden yelled,

"Aiden you are being selfish," Beth snapped, "A canister of energon needs to be found before it is used to cause harm. The Autobots have fought hard to keep us and our world safe, don't you dare make those who have died in three battles, Autobot and human, a death that is meaningless and in vain!" Beth bellowed,

"Aiden," Charlotte said, "What are you hiding?"

He turned to look at her; she was giving one of her no nonsense glares,

"Nothing," he lied.

"This is enough!" Strobe barked.

She walked up to the safe and worked out the code for the lock, the door sprung open and she found the red leather bound diary among the documents. Strobe pulled the whole lot out and handed them to Optimus Prime,

"Thank you Strobe," he said.

Aiden's jaw dropped to the floor,"How did she do that?" he asked,

Strobe looked at him, "The same way I worked out your language, all that time you were holding me and I was concious I heard everything, every plan, every phone call, the whole lot. Aiden you know everything including the whereabouts of the canister of energon. I suggest you come clean before we extract the information from you in ways that made the toughest Decepticon scream." She stood in front of the young man her blue eyes boring into his very core and smiled darkly, "And I won't be gentle with you either," she snarled.

Aiden swallowed a lump in his throat as he felt his skin go clammy, "Alright," he said quietly, "But not here, it's not safe,"

"Okay we will continue this back at the base," Optimus said, "Let's get back to NEST,"

Beth walked past Aiden and glared at him. Sideswipe placed his arm on Beth's, shoulder, "Come Beth," he said as he wrapped an arm around her shoulder protectively and led her out of the office.

The drive back to NEST was quiet; Beth had a deep frown on her forehead as she thought about the things her brother did this afternoon. She was angry with him.

Really angry!

She felt a hand gently squeeze hers, Beth curled her fingers around Sideswipe's hand,

"Why did he do it?" she snapped,

"I don't know, Beth," Sidewipe replied, "Perhaps he is just scared or maybe there is incriminating evidence."

"He's never got involved in anything like this before," she said,

"Well he is now and he's behaviour back there...actually ever since we first met him hasn't really helped him. We have had a suspicion for a while that he hasn't been totally honest with us. Look Beth, I know he is your brother but his behaviour was really strange back then so be careful."

"I will Sideswipe," she promised.

* * *

><p>Prowl was sitting at the helm admiring earth when something unusual caught his optic. When he turned to see what it was he saw an old burnt out Autobot shuttle with scorch marks and damage. It appeared to be showing no signs of life but something was niggling at the back of his processor and annoying his logic circuits. He called over Moonracer and Sunstreaker who looked in the same direction he was,<p>

"What do you think?" he asked,

"It's an Autobot shuttle," Sunstreaker said, "It looks badly damaged, I'd be surprised if anybody is alive in there, but how did it get this far out?"

"Well shouldn't we investigate it just in case anybody is in there?" Moonracer suggested as she placed a hand on Prowl's shoulder and leaned closer to the window,

"Yeah, even if they are dead we should bring them with us," Sunstreaker said,

"I agree," Moonracer replied.

"Quickly," Prowl replied, "We have a very narrow window,"

Moonracer and Sunstreaker left the safety of their shuttle and floated towards the Autobot shuttle. Prowl watched them as they disappeared through the hole, he turned to the radar to look out for any Decepticons but all was quiet.

The turquoise femme stopped before walking through the hole. She stepped through it as quietly as possible, being careful not to stand on any part of the bodies on the floor,

"What happened?" Sunstreaker asked,

"It looks like a surprise attack," Moonracer said as she looked around the bodies, "Nobody is in weapons mode and the ship has been breached."

"It's been dead a long time, decay has set in," Sunstreaker said as he looked around.

They ventured further into the ship silently, neither saying a word as they looked at the carnage. A large piece of metal piping blocked their path, Moonracer climbed over it, looking ahead while she did. There was a staircase leading to a lower level, the Autobot's weapons room and supplies. As Sunstreaker passed it he picked up a faint signal,

"Moonracer, have you picked anything up?" he asked,

"Yes but it's very faint, and appears to be coming from downstairs" she replied as she looked down the staircase. She was just to venture downstairs when they heard a noise in the front of the shuttle. Sunstreaker and Moonracer moved to where the sound came from,

"It appears to be coming from under here," Moonracer replied as she scanned the area.

Sunstreaker wiped the dust off the instruments, there were coordinates set for earth and when he checked for recent transmissions he found Optimus Prime's one calling them to earth,

"Look," he said, "They were answering Optimus Prime's call, they got so close,"

"Help...hel...p...me," a muffled voice called,

"Did you hear that?" he asked Moonracer,

"What?" she asked,

"Ssshhh, listen," he said quietly,

"Help me...please," the voice cried,

It's a call for help...it seems to be coming from under here," Sunstreaker bent down to look through a hole in the wreckage,

"Yeah but there is only one signal," Moonracer replied,

"Is it a Decepticon?" he asked,

"There is only one way to find out." Moonracer said

Sunstreaker's weapon appeared and he prodded the wreckage,

"Careful Sunstreaker," she said.

"Help me...not a con...hel...me," the voice called again.

"Cover me," Sunstreaker said as he retracted his weapon and pulled a large piece of metal from under the helm slowly. Moonracer stood in front of the helm her plasma rifle aimed in the direction of the call for help.

As Sunstreaker pulled back the wreckage a pair of faint blue optics looked back at him,

"It's okay, he's an Autobot," Sunstreaker replied, "Help me get him out,"

Sunstreaker and Moonracer helped the Autobot from his hiding place. He was barely recognisable because of a huge gouge taken from his cpu revealing his processor and a few burnt out wires,

"Who is he?" Moonracer asked,

"Hound, I believe he's Hound," Sunstreaker replied, "Let's find the other Autbot and get him out of here,"

Sunstreaker helped Hound up, and supported him while Moonracer silently turned around and walked back through the ship,

"It looks like the signal is coming from down here," she said as she stepped down the stairs slowly.

They stopped halfway to scan the area for potential threats but it was clear so Sunstreaker sat Hound against a wall and they continued on down the stairs,

"It's an emergency beacon," she said,

"It's coming from over there," Sunstreaker slowly walked toward the beacon.

In the corner he saw the tip of a chevron sticking out from the wreckage, "Found it," he yelled as he moved a large piece of metal plating, as he did a large piece of piping crashed on top of the mech laying there, "It's Bluestreak, Moonracer help me lift this off,"

Moonracer and Sunstreaker slowly lifted off the piping and cleared the rest of the wreckage off his body. The femme warrior noticed his sniper rifle had been activated,

"He could still be in battle mode," she said,

"Yeah, we need to be careful, he may not recognise us at first when he comes around," Sustreaker replied. Moonracer placed a white hand over his and gently prized the rifle from his hand and subspaced it, "Good thinking, Racer," Sunsteaker said,

"Thanks _Sunny_," the mech glared at the femme who was smirking at him. He turned his attention back to Bluestreak shaking his head and chuckling,

"**How are you guys doing in there?" **Prowl asked,

"**We found Bluestreak and Hound,"** Sunstreaker replied, "**Bluestreak is barely alive, Hound is fading quickly,"**

"**Bring them in, I'll tell First Aid you're coming."**

"**Yes sir," **Sunstreaker replied.

The two Autobots pulled Bluestreak from the wreckage and then Sunstreaker picked him up over his shoulders and walked through the shuttle behind Moonracer who was supporting Hound and leading the way back to the hole where they entered. The mech moaned as Sunstreaker launched himself out of the ship towards the Decepticon shuttle they had commandeered,

"Easy Blue," Sunstreaker soothed.

First Aid appeared in the doorway, "Bring them this way," he said.

Prowl closed the door and secured the seal before following them into the med bay,

"Are there anymore in the shuttle?" he asked,

"No, they're all dead," Moonracer replied as she helped First Aid secure Bluestreak.

"Okay, we need to enter earth's atmosphere now if we're to make landing at the time allocated to us."

"Then let's do it!" Sunstreaker replied, "I have a brother to surprise," everybody groaned.

Moonracer turned her attention back to Bluestreak who was now being scanned by First Aid,

"Is he going to be okay?" she asked,

"He's very weak and his systems are strained from insufficient energon. There is slight injury from being crushed in the wreckage, where did you find him?"

"In the weapons hold," Moonracer replied.

"It's possible he tried to arm himself when the ship was attacked, he's actually lucky to be alive."

First Aid injected an emergency canister of energon into his body and secured him. All of a sudden he woke up and fought against the restraints,

"Let me go!" He bellowed, "Get this thing off of me," he growled as he fought against the restraints.

Moonracer put her hand on him, "Bluestreak, it's okay, you're okay. It 's me Racer,"

"No you're not I'm in a Decepticon shuttle,"

"Calm down, Bluestreak, you're fine," Sunstreaker said, "You're safe, buddy,"

Bluestreak caught sight of the needle but he couldn't stop it approaching because of his restraints. He felt the sedative slowing down his systems as it flowed through his body,

"What have you given me?" he growled, "Arrhhh, I'm not going to let you touch me, Decepticon!"

First Aid's head appeared in Bluestreak's line of vision, the sniper noticed the blue optics and stopped fighting for a minute,

"Bluestreak, it's me First Aid. You are safe Moonracer and Sunstreaker rescued you,"

"The Decepticons atta...cked...,"

"We know Bluestreak, just get some rest, we're about to enter earth's atmosphere and join Optimus Prime." Bluestreak's optics flashed dimly before he faded again into a deep bliss, "He heard that, he should be okay now."

First Aid turned to Hound, "I'm going to give you a pain killer for the pain Hound, we'll get you fixed up once we've joined the others on earth."

Prowl turned to Moonracer, "Good call Moonracer, well done," he said,

"Yeah, you can fight by my side anytime," Sunstreaker replied,

"Thank you," she replied graciously.

"Let's go home," Prowl said.

Prowl and Sunstreaker sat in the front two seats of the shuttle while Moonracer sat behind them, First Aid secured the two mechs and took his seat next to Moonracer. The tactician radioed ahead to Optimus Prime to let them know they were bringing in injured. All were braced for their entrance into the earth's atmosphere. Sunstreaker held the shuttle steady as he slowed her down to a safe speed,

"Steady," Prowl replied as he slightly adjusted their trajectory so as not to bounce off and ricochet back into space.

The shuttle shook as it slid into the atmosphere, the gravity pulled them harder the closer they got until eventually they were travelling at speeds they never thought possible. The shuttle glowed from the heat as they raced through the atmosphere, the noise was both deafening and alarming,

"She's going to break up," Sunstreaker bellowed above the noise.

Prowl checked the instruments, "The shuttle's integrity is bearing up," he replied calmly.

In the meantime Optimus Prime who was carrying Lennox and Epps, Sideswipe with Beth, Mirage, Bumblebee, Strobe and Ratchet were travelling to the rendez vous point. It was the early hours of the morning and Beth was sleeping, Sidewipe could see the bright light in the sky as the shuttle moved rapidly through the atmosphere and hoped that maybe by some stroke of luck his brother was with them. However the silver frontline warrior had resigned himself to the fact that he would never see Sunstreaker again and that he was probably locked up in some Deception POW camp awaiting execution. He looked over at Beth who was curled up on the seat next to him sleeping peacefully with the blanket he'd provided for her wrapped around her slender body, her curls had fallen over her face hiding her features and the bruising which had turned purple, the stitches had gone leaving a slight red line.

They pulled into the Kennedy space center and transformed, Optimus Prime looked up at the sky to watch the progress of the shuttle. Sideswipe needed to transform which meant Beth had to wake up. He gently shook her and smiled as she breathed in deeply and stretched her arm sleepily. Her eyelids fluttered open and she smiled sleepily at him,

"Sideswipe," she purred and leaned against his body,

"Don't you go back to sleep Beth, I need to transform,"

"What?" she said as she tried to pull her mind and body into wakefulness, "Are we here?"

Sideswipe chuckled, "Yes we are sleepy head,"

"Well in that case I'd better get out,"

Sideswipe's door opened and Beth stepped out with the blanket still wrapped around her. She gave him space to transform and stepped into his massive hand when he offered it to her. He watched her as she wrapped the blanket tighter around herself and turned to watch the shuttle land. The shuttle disappeared for a minute as it cut its pathway through clouds, by the time it reappeared it was a lot lower and Beth could just make out the Decepticon markings on the side,

"What do they mean?" she asked Sideswipe,

"It's the name of the ship the shuttle came from; this one is from the Nemesis which was the Decepticon flag ship."

The sun was just rising as it completed its descent onto the tarmac near the waiting Autobots and humans, a blue flame burst from thrusters under the ship helping it slowly settle onto the ground. By now the sun was just making its appearance on the horizon shrouding everything in a bright orange glow. Charlotte covered her eyes to keep the sunlight out of them as she watched the shuttle power down.

"Would you look at that," First Aid said as he looked out of the window,

"It's beautiful," Moonracer replied.

Sunstreaker saw the humans standing with the Autobots, "What are they?" he asked,

"Allies," Prowl replied with a warning glare at the front line warrior.

Beth smiled knowingly as the door to the shuttle opened and the first Autobot, a turquoise one stood in the doorway. She looked around for Chromia and Elita but couldn't see them. Strobe looked at Moonracer, she was familiar but not somebody she knew well,

"Autobot Moonracer, welcome to earth," Optimus said to the femme proudly as he held out his hand to help her down,

"Optimus Prime, you're still the gentleman I remember you as," she laughed,

"Indeed I am," he purred.

The next to come to the door was First Aid supporting Bluestreak. Ratchet walked up to him nobly and stood on Bluestreak's other side to help the young warrior down. Sunstreaker closely followed First Aid, Sideswipe couldn't believe his eyes as the yellow frontline warrior stood in the doorway smirking,

"What the...," Sideswipe placed Beth on the ground, and raced toward the shuttle, "Sunstreaker, why you old bucket of rusty...I'm gonna kill you for this. Sunstreaker jumped out of the shuttle and laughed as he grabbed Sideswipe and wrapped his big yellow arms around his silver brother. They hit each other and hugged each other,

"Do you have any idea what you put me through?" Sunstreaker laughed as he looked around at the other Autobots and humans watching the greeting.

Strobe kept a watchful optic on Beth while the two brothers greeted each other, hoping she didn't have to pick her up. Sideswipe was not the most careful of mechs when he was around Sunstreaker

Prowl exited the ship supporting Hound, Mirage couldn't believe his optics. He thought he'd lost his friend during their desperate battle to get to the Ark, he ran up to Prowl and helped him bring Hound down. He looked around the humans and marvelled at their size. He noted the differences in the individuals including their gender differences. What he didn't know was which one was male and female but assumed he would eventually.

Sideswipe went back to pick up Beth, "Who is this?" Sunsteaker asked,

"My friend, Beth," Sideswipe turned to Beth, "Beth this is my brother, Sunstreaker," Sunstreaker stared at the young woman sitting in her guardian's hand and narrowed his optics. Beth felt slightly nervous about being examined by the yellow mech and tried to find a place to hide. Sideswipe laughed,

"It's okay he won't hurt you, will you Sunstreaker," Sideswipe said with a warning tone as he lifted Beth onto his shoulder. The yellow mech said nothing but the thought of having something so squishy on his shoulder disgusted him.

Prowl turned his attention to Strobe who was now standing next to Optimus Prime,

"Strobe, it is so good to see you again, I thought we'd lost you to the Decepticons,"

"It's good to see you too, Prowl and no I was nearly lost to the Decepticons and humans, but it's a long story and one I'd rather not talk about right now,"

Optimus put his arm around Strobe's shoulder spontaneously, the move wasn't missed and Prowl smiled wryly,

"We are currently working with the humans on Strobe's arrival and subsequent capture and torture." Optimus said

"I'm sorry to hear that, Strobe," Prowl replied,

"Don't be Prowl, it's not your fault, it's mine." she said

"No Strobe, we've been through this, it's not your fault," Optimus Prime replied.

Moonracer looked around, she noticed that Elita and Chromia weren't around and neither was Arcee, "Where is Elita and the others?" she asked.

There was a silence and some of the welcoming group of Autobots looked down. Optimus Prime turned to Moonracer,

"We have had many losses since we have been here. Among them were Elita, Chromia and Arcee."

"Oh, I'm sorry," she replied sadly,

"And Jazz?" Prowl asked.

"He's gone too, with Ironhide and Wheeljack." Sadness weighed heavily on Optimus Prime at the mention of the names of those lost to the war, "Come, we'll talk about it all later back at the NEST base, we all have so much to catch up on."

Sunstreaker looked at Sideswipe, "Ironhide is gone?"

* * *

><p>At last the Autobots have arrived and they are reunited with Optimus Prime.<p>

Who has the canister of energon. All will be revealed.


	12. Chapter 12

**Disclaimer; Transformers characters and their merchandise do not belong to me. I have oc's in this story.**

* * *

><p>Chapter 12<p>

Welcome home.

There was a heaviness among the returning Autobots as the new arrivals looked around their new homes and came to terms with the loss of fellow Autobots. The drive had been silent but now to not see Wheeljack or Ironhide standing among those who welcomed them to NEST really brought it home to them. Hound and Bluestreak were immediately whisked off to the med bay with First Aid and Ratchet while Moonracer, Sunstreaker and Prowl were allowed to greet the other Autobots and human allies,

"Autobots," Prime's resonant voice echoed around the base, "Welcome to your new home,"

Beth climbed out of Sideswipe slowly and yawned while the silver frontline warrior transformed. The silver frontline warrior chuckled as he knelt down in front of her,

"Are you tired, sweetspark?"

"Yes, I am," she replied, "If you don't mind I would like to catch some more sleep before I have to work this afternoon,"

"Sure," Sideswipe replied, "We'll see you when you wake up,"

Beth went to leave but Lennox stopped her, "Amersham," Beth turned around to face him, "Where are you off to?"

"I'm going to bed before I start work this afternoon, sir" she replied.

William shook his head, "Take the day off, last night was work for you,"

"But sir...I'm rostered on this afternoon," she argued,

"The rosters were changed for those going out on the reconnaissance," William replied,

"Yes sir," Beth replied, "Thank you sir,"

He patted her on the shoulder, "Have a good day,"

"Thank you sir," Beth replied.

Beth trudged down the corridor relieved that she didn't have to work. She heard Mark whistling as he strutted slowly down the corridor to the med bay. She smiled and cocked her head, "Hey," she said, "You're cheerful,"

"I take it everything went well," he said as he stopped in front of her and put his hands in his pockets.

"Yes it did," Beth replied, "How are Bluestreak and Hound?"

"I don't know, I haven't got into the med bay yet. What are you doing now?"

"Oh, I'm just going to get some sleep for a couple of hours,"

"I was kinda wondering if you wanted to come out for a coffee this afternoon. I am on a morning shift but I should be finished by three,"

"Yeah...okay," she smiled, "I'd like that,"

"Cool, I'll meet you in the rec room at three," Mark replied.

His cell phone rang, Mark pulled it out of his pocket and looked at the message, "Ratchet is calling me. I have to go,"

Beth laughed, "I'll see you at three."

Mark made his way into the med bay and climbed up the ladder Ratchet had set up so that he could get onto the giant berth. First Aid saw him and backed away,

"Uhmm Ratchet," he said unsurely, "There's one of those...humans on the berth,"

"He's Mark, my assistant," the CMO replied without looking, "He won't hurt you, he is very reliable and he has been a good student. Mark I want you to meet one of my students from eons ago...First Aid,"

"Hello First Aid, how are you?" he said as he held out his hand.

First Aid looked at the tiny hand, "What do I do?" he whispered to Ratchet,

"Shake his hand," Ratchet replied nonchalantly.

First Aid held out his hand and watched in amazement as Mark wrapped his fingers around a servo. The junior medic was fascinated by the softness and warmth of the small appendage,

"Nice to meet you," he said, "I trust Ratchet hasn't been too hard on you as he was on me,"

Ratchet growled a warning at First Aid, "Mark doesn't have to learn quickly or during a war, you did," he then turned to Mark, "We are going to treat Hound and Bluestreak, and check over Sunstreaker, Moonracer and Prowl. I will introduce them to you as we go along because they all have their own little ways."

"Okay," he said.

The CMO walked across to Bluestreak's berth again, "I thought I'd never see you again," he said. Ratchet smiled at him, "You're here now," he soothed as he patted Bluestreak's arm, "Bluestreak is one of our younger members," he said, "He lost his family at the beginning of the war,"

"Sorry to here that," Mark said compassionately,

Bluestreak slowly turned his head to see who was talking to him, "It's okay," he replied, "Are you working on me?"

"He will be assisting us," Ratchet said as he uncovered the dressings First Aid had used on the gunner, aGood work,"

"Watch Bluestreak, he's a chatterbox," First Aid said as he flashed his optics at Mark,

"Oh that's alright, he can talk to his hearts content," Mark replied,

"Heart?" First Aid asked,

"Spark," Ratchet replied, "Humans have hearts instead of sparks,"

"Ohhhhh," First Aid replied, "What does it do?"

"It basically has the same function as your spark," Mark replied, "It keeps us alive by pumping blood and oxygen around our bodies,"

"What's blood?" First Aid asked the young soldier,

"I will explain it all to you later," Ratchet replied, "Let's sort out these patients before Sunstreaker, Moonracer and Prowl get here,"

Sideswipe showed his brother around the base and introduced him to the human crew of NEST. Sunsteaker nodded courteously to them all as they said hello,

"So what do you think?" Sideswipe asked him,

"Hmm, the base is small and I reserve judgement on the humans. Anyway what made you decide to become a guardian of one of these...humans?"

"Her brother got in trouble and she got drawn into it too. She was nearly kidnapped,"

"Her brother? Is he a Decepticon?" Sunstreaker asked,

"Not quite. Her brother was involved in the capture and subsequent torture of Strobe. At the moment Beth isn't talking to Aiden, ever since he came on the scene he has hurt her over and over again. And that's on top of the injuries she sustained during the last battle against the cons,"

"She fought the cons?"

"Most of these guys did," Sideswipe replied, "We have a unique relationship with the humans based on loyalty and trust."

Sunstreaker looked back at the humans going about their duties, they seemed so small and frail to be fighting against the Decepticons, "How did they manage to fight the Decepticons, they're little rodents,"

One soldier overheard him and shot a look at the yellow twin, "You'd be surprised what these guys are capable of," Sideswipe replied as he followed his brother to the med bay.

Optimus Prime sat back in the chair of his office, it was at moments like this Elita would have called in and spent time with him or suggested he called it a day and came to spend some time with her. He really missed her touch, her gentle voice, having her lying next to him in their berth. Sometimes the longing and pain was just too much for the Autobot leader in these quiet moments when the memories would come flooding back and haunt him, especially after telling the new arrivals of the losses they had taken during the battle in Chicago.

There was a gentle tap at the door to his office,

"Come in,"

"I can't my hands are full," a femme's voice called through the door.

Optimus got up and made his way to the door, "Strobe," he said,

"I...uhmmm," she looked at the cube in her hand and then back at him coyly, "I saw the light on in your office and I thought you might appreciate some energon," she said as she handed it out,

Optimus smiled, "That is very kind of you, Strobe," he replied as he took it.

An awkward silence fell between them both before Strobe spoke again,

"I'd like to say thank you...for helping me...at the research installation," she said,

"Strobe it was the least I could do for you after everything you've been through."

"Well..thank you," her deep voice rumbled.

"Would you like to come in," Prime asked as he moved aside to let her into his office,

"If I'm not disturbing you," she replied,

"No, Strobe. You're not; your company would be much appreciated." Optimus prime replied.

Strobe sat on a chair in his office while Prime brought another one over for himself. She looked around and then at Prime who was smiling at her kindly,

"You must get lonely in here on your own," she said,

"Unfortunately there are times when I have to be alone to fulfil my role as leader," he said,

"Oh," she replied, "It's good to see the others here, kinda like old times with Sunstreaker and Sidswipe together...a little bit,"

Optimus Prime chuckled, "No doubt once Sunstreaker has settled they'll get up to their antics," he said.

Strobe laughed, "Remember when they hid Ratchet's tools around the base,"

Optimus Prime laughed, "Yes I do. Ratchet nearly burst a vent."

They both laughed as they remembered the sight of Ratchet raging war with the twins. They sat there for an hour talking and laughing about the antics of the twins. Optimus Prime enjoyed himself he hadn't laughed this much for ages and before they knew it the morning had become afternoon and neither were really ready to end this time they had together.

The conversation eventually got around to Ironhide. A look of sadness crossed Strobe's face,

"I miss him, you know," a look of compassion spread over Prime's face,

"So do I," Optimus replied,

"It hurts sometimes, in here," she patted her chest,

"It is normal to feel that way," Optimus replied. The Autobot leader watched her as she hang her head down, he took her hand in his and leaned forward, "It will get better," he said gently, "I promise you that, time will heal your broken spark."

Strobe felt comforted as Optimus held her hand and sat so close to her. She met his optics with hers, they were so reassuring and kind. She felt so frightened by his closeness, and right now all she wanted to do was flee but something was holding her there, "It will be alright, Strobe," he said as he stroked her arm. The gesture sent a tingling sensation through her body and right now her processor was telling her to run...as far away from the Autobot leader as possible,

"Come, Strobe," he said as he took her hand and helped her up,

"Where are we going?" she asked,

"Out," he replied, "You need a break and so do I,"

They left the office together and walked through the base slowly chatting. Optimus had to admit he was really enjoying the company of the jade green and black femme, she was so soothing to his broken spark, and if Strobe was honest with herself she was actually enjoying his company too.

Strobe was smiling, that was the first thing that other mechs noticed when she was walking through the base with Optimus Prime. She had lost that constant frown and she was chattering happily to the Autobot leader. They stopped for a while as Prime spoke to Bumblebee,

"I'm taking Strobe out for a while and I don't want to be disturbed unless it is really urgent." he said,

"Yes sir, enjoy yourselves," Bumblebee replied.

Bumblebee watched them as they left through the main entrance to the base and then closed the doors behind them to keep the heat in. As they drove through Washington Strobe noticed something different about the humans,

"Optimus, the humans, they look different."

Optimus Prime chuckled, "It is getting colder the humans are beginning to rug up before they go outside or they will get cold,"

"Oh, what happens when they get cold?"

"They will get sick,"

They continued driving for a while until Optimus Prime found an ideal place to park which was quite secluded. It was quite popular in the summer but now it was colder so the only people to venture out were the dog walkers and fishermen,

"Where are we?" Strobe asked,

"Potomac river," Optimus Prime replied.

Their holoforms climbed out of their vehicles and they walked along the banks of the river slowly. There was a comfortable silence between them as they took in the scene and the sounds of the running water. Strobe looked at Optimus Prime, his holoform looked so handsome, his hair was a silver colour and hang just above the collar of his suede fur lined jacket. Optimus Prime's hands were in his pockets, Strobe didn't know why, it wasn't like he needed to keep them warm. She stopped and stood on the waters edge, Prime stood beside her and bent down to feel the temperature of the water. It was freezing cold, he looked up at Strobe sheepishly , she was still looking around the environment. Optimus chuckled as he dipped his hand further into the water, Strobe looked down at him an wondered what he was doing but as she did he moved his through the water and up into the air.

The water was icy cold as it hit Strobe's face, she squeeled and jumped back a bit. Optimus threw his head back and roared with laughter, the wet holoform had no choice except to look at him and narrow her eyes,

"I'll get you for that," she laughed,

"I'm sure you will," Prime laughed as he wiped his hand on his jeans.

Strobe and Prime carried on walking along the banks of the river, the femme had let her guard down and without thinking she linked her arm through Prime's. Optimus looked at her and smiled,

"Oh," she said with an embarrassed tone as her holoform cheeks blushed, "I'm so sorry,"

She went to pull her arm away but Optimus stopped her, "Strobe,"he said,"There is nothing wrong with walking like this,"

They walked together with their arms interlinked for a while, a comfortable silence fell between them as they carried on along the path. It had been a long time since Optimus Prime had a femme so close to him and he had forgotten how nice it was to be alone with a mate but neither of them were ready for anything like that yet. He looked at the femme standing beside him, she was certainly good for him, in this short time she had him laughing again and she had lost that constant frown upon her pretty face.

* * *

><p>Beth had been asleep for about two hours and now she was laying in bed thinking about her brother. He really needed to get back to his wife and family before he lost what he had but she wasn't sure if they were going to let him go so easily. Not for now at least anyway. He was in a very precarious situation in which he would be struggling to prove his innocence if he was to leave. She sighed, if only he had been honest right from the beginning things could have been a whole lot more different for her brother but the way they stood now he was in deep trouble right up to his neck. Beth turned to look at her clock; it was one thirty, time she got up.<p>

Aiden sat on the edge of his berth with his face supported by his hands. He was under watch and wasn't allowed to leave the base, an order issued by Charlotte Mearing. In short he was a prisoner and he was beginning to regret his actions but the young man was in a lot of trouble and he wasn't sure if he could get out of it. One thing he had to admit though, he was safe here. Sort of!

Aiden wasn't aware of the Autobot's capability to discern when a human was lying and he felt so ashamed. He knew he had disappointed his sister and if his parents were alive they would be disappointed too. He groaned as he laced his fingers through his curly brown hair, how was he going to get out of this,

"Aiden Amersham, how could you be so stupid,?" he muttered.

Aiden had no idea what was going to happen to him now. The only hope he had was to cooperate with the powers that be and give them the information they wanted and then he could leave the base, Beth and everything that had happened behind him and try to pick up the pieces. He was beginning to get quite worried about his wife and family, he hadn't seen them for ages and if he didn't make contact with them soon he could lose them forever. He picked up his cell phone and went to ring her but there was no signal. Aiden growled. He would have to make the call outside. He left his quarters and made his way to the entrance of the base but on his way he met Beth,

"Aiden," Beth said, "I've been thinking about you,"

"Oh have you?" he snarled,

Beth frowned and folded her arms across her chest, "Aiden there was no need to talk to me like that, I haven't done anything to you,"

Aiden looked at her again and hang his head, "Sorry Beth, I guess I have a lot going on," he replied sarcastically. Beth raised her eyebrows, "I have to go I need to speak to my family." he snipped. Beth watched him as he continued to stride down the corridors and out of the entrance to the base. Mirage also saw him, he activated his cloaking device and followed the man to see what he would do.

Even though the sun was shining and the sky was blue it was still cold, at this time of year the front entrance to the base never saw sunlight. A cold breeze blew along the path making Aiden shiver. His heart beat faster and he was holding his breath as he waited for his wife to pick up. Two guards watched him suspiciously,

"Do you think we should report him?"

"Nah, we'll keep an eye on him, he isn't a prisoner or anything," the other one replied,

"Yeah but whose he ringing,"

The other guard shrugged his shoulders, "Who knows," he replied as he shook his hands, "It's cold out here, this shift can't end quick enough,"

Finally Aiden's wife answered the phone, "Hey baby," he cooed softly.

"Aiden," his wife replied and then he heard soft sounds over the phone suggesting that she was crying, "I'm sorry, I've missed you where are you?"

"I'm in Washington," he replied,

"When are you coming home, Aiden? You've been away for nearly eight months," she asked hopefully

"I don't know," Aiden replied, "I'm kinda helping out with an investigation," he replied,

"Investigation? What investigation?" she asked suspiciously,

"I can't tell you. It's a secret," he replied,

There was a frustrated sigh on the other end of the phone and his wife's voice deepened, "Why is everything cloak and dagger with you, Aiden? You'd better be home for Thanksgiving or I'm filing for a divorce. Are you seeing another woman? Is that what it is?"

Aiden's heart jumped into his mouth, she couldn't do that. She was his whole world, "No, I'm not; please trust me on this, Michelle," he begged,

"Aiden it is very hard for me to understand what is happening with you, you won't tell me anything and if you do it is always a secret," she snapped. Aiden stood there silently; there was nothing he could say because she was right,

"Alright, let me see what I can do," he said,

"You've got until Thanksgiving, Aiden. If I don't hear from you before then or if you're not back home by then I _will_ file for a divorce." She retorted angrily and hung up the phone abruptly.

Aiden switched his phone off and made his way back into the base. He had to get out of here and get back to his wife and family. He didn't have the power to stop what was happening in his life here, but he did have the power to save his marriage and that was what he was going to do. He went back to his quarters to pack what few belongings he had and proceeded to make a booking for the next flight out, but first he needed to tell Beth what he was going to do.

Beth was in the rec room enjoying some lunch with two friends who were on lunch break,

"Hey where's your shadow?" one of them, a blonde woman dressed in army greens with a tight blonde bun asked,

"With his brother," Beth replied,

"You're brother's here," another young woman, also in army greens and with short black hair, named Mel said.

Beth turned around, "Aiden," she called.

He was dressed for going out and he had a look of determination on his face. He walked over to the three women and nodded at Jenna and Mel before looking at Beth,

"I'm leaving," he said, "I have to get back to my wife and family,"

Beth stood up and put her hand on Aiden's arm, "Aiden don't," she said, "It will look suspicious."

Aiden pushed her hand off, "I have to save my marriage," he said,

"Aiden I don't want to see you get in more trouble, please stay here. We can maybe arrange a way for you to meet your wife and family." she pleaded with him desperately.

On a table nearby Bumblebee was chatting with Prowl when he overheard Beth's desperate plea. His focus turned to the young soldier who was standing up and looking worried. Prowl saw the scout's attention was averted and also turned in Beth's direction.

"Beth I have to," he said, "My wife is threatening me with divorce if I'm not home by Thanksgiving,"

"You won't see her at all if you leave now," she replied,

"She's right, Aiden," Jenna replied,

"Beth I'm a desperate man, my life is ruined I have to salvage something of my life and it happens to be my marriage. Goodbye Beth,"

He picked up his bag and left. Beth ran after him and blocked the door,

"Aiden, please, don't do this for the sake of your marriage." Beth implored him,

"Get out of my way." he growled as he shoved Beth with massive force sending her reeling backwards and falling to the floor. He stepped over her and carried on walking down the corridor,

"Aiden, if you go any further I'm going to call the guards and tell them to stop you," He stopped where he was, turned around and faced her. She got up and stood in front of him, "I mean it, Aiden, it's for your own good,"

Aiden glared at her and narrowed his eyes, "You are not going to stop me woman," he yelled as he poked her, "I am leaving and if you get in my way I will hurt you. I don't want to do that Beth, I'm not like that,"

"Don't do it, Aiden. Please," she whispered, "You will lose everything including your freedom,"

He looked at her a minute and then barged past her. Beth heard his footsteps as he trudged down the corridor. Beth knew what she had to do and resented doing it but she had to protect her brother from causing himself more harm. Aiden got to the main entrance to find William Lennox and two soldiers in his way. He growled, and yelled,

"I'm gonna kill you, Beth."

"Beth is a member of my team, you don't threaten her," William growled as he seized Aiden, "You're going nowhere,"

"But I have to get to my wife and family," he yelled as he struggled against the soldiers, "I don't want to lose them," he screamed,

"You should have thought about that sooner, take him to his quarters and lock him in,"

"Let go of me," Aiden snarled, "I need to go home," he protested all the way back to his quarters.

"In you go," one of the guards said.

Aiden sat down back down on his bed and wept as he thought about the repercussions of not being able to see his wife and family. Memories flashed through his head of his wedding day and the birth of his two daughters, he lay back on the bed with his hands supporting his head, right now he felt like his heart had been ripped out of his chest. He longed to be back home with his family and the more he thought about it the worse it got. How was he going to get around this? How was he going to make them understand that he needed to see them? Aiden growled in frustration as he punched the bed.

William went to find Beth who was sitting down with her friends, she looked worried and Jenna was trying to console her,

"You did the right thing, Beth," she said, "He needs to sort this out and then he can get back to his family,"

"Yeah but he said his wife was going to divorce him if he didn't get back home, I've effectively helped her with that,"

"Beth don't worry, maybe we can find a way around it," Michelle replied, "Maybe we could arrange for them to meet up or something," she said.

"Yeah, maybe," Beth replied but the fact was she felt so guilty for doing what she did, "The truth is I wasn't thinking of Aiden I was thinking of myself too and how his actions would affect me too."

"Beth, you like everybody else here have a bond with the Autobots which is built on trust. One wrong move and it could be destroyed." Michelle said.

William made his way to Beth's table, "Amersham," he said, "My office."

Beth left the girls and followed William to his office; she stood in front of his desk straight and wouldn't sit down until she was invited. William moved around the desk and looked at her,

"At ease, Amersham,"

"First of all I'd like to let you know that you did the right thing. If Aiden had left then finding the canister would have been a lot more difficult. I don't think he understands the seriousness of the matter but I will speak to him later. I need to write a report about this and give it to Charlotte Mearing and Optimus Prime, so could you write the details down for me,"

"Yes sir," she replied,

"Good now on a more serious note, he threatened to kill you; I believe it was a heat of the moment thing but for the time being he is locked up in his quarters for your safety. I'm also going to suggest to Optimus Prime that Sideswipe steps up his guardianship of you,"

Beth cringed, now he was never going to let her out of his sight, "_Thanks Aiden," _she thought resentfully, "Yes sir," Beth replied, "Permission to speak freely sir,"

"Permission granted Beth," William replied,

Beth looked down, "Well you see, he told me that he needed to get back to his wife and family by Thanksgiving or she was going to divorce him. I guess what I'm saying is can we show him a little compassion and maybe let him out on leave to visit his family or have a meeting with them. I'd never forgive myself if Aiden's marriage was to be ruined because of my actions,"

William looked at her thoughtfully, his married life sometimes went through tough times especially when Ironhide arrived on the scene. He remembered one particular argument with his wife when she said it was me or him but he wasn't going to have it. Marriage was important to William and the last thing he wanted was for Aiden's to be lost,

"Let me see what I can do," he said, "Aiden isn't a prisoner on this base yet, but let me see what Charlotte and Optimus Prime say,"

"Yes sir, thank you sir,"

Beth got up and walked slowly to the door, "And Amersham," she turned around to face William Lennox, "Don't feel bad about what you did, it was the best thing to do,"

"Yes sir," she replied.

Beth walked through the glass doors into the main Autobot area to find Sideswipe waiting for her,

"Are you okay, Beth?" he asked as he held out his hand to her, "Michelle told me what happened,"

"I'm okay, Sideswipe," she replied, "I just feel sorry for him, he's desperate to get back to his family,"

"We can't let him go, it's too risky," Sideswipe replied,

"I know that but I just feel like it was my fault that he is now locked up and if he doesn't get back then I have..."

"Slow down there girl," Sideswipe said, "Did you make him do the things he did?"

"No," she replied,

"Then why would it be your fault. The way I see it he dug this hole and jumped in it, you are at the top trying to pull him out,"

Beth sighed, "Could you take me back to the rec room, I'm meeting Mark there. He is taking me out for a coffee."

A pang of jealousy hit Sideswipe in the spark as he placed her on his shoulder, he wanted to be able to take her out and spend time with her. The silver mech obediently took her to the rec room where Mark was already sitting at a table checking his messages. He looked up when he heard Beth call him from her high position, his whole face lit up into a smile wen he saw her,

"Hey Beth, you okay?" he asked,

"Yes I am, put me down please Sideswipe," she said.

Sideswipe lowered the girl to the floor and stood up to watch them from his height. Beth looked up at him, "Thank you, Sideswipe," she said.

"So where are we going?" she asked,

"The coffee shop down the road," he replied.

Beth smiled, "I like it there,"

"Do you want me to take you?" Sideswipe asked,

"No thank you Sideswipe, it's not far we can walk,"

He nodded politely before leaving them to be alone together, Beth watched him leave and couldn't help but feel sad for him. He didn't seem as happy as he rolled away and she wondered what had him so sad. He had his brother back what else could be his problem? Beth turned back to Mark, who raised his eyebrows,

"I think he's crushing on you,"

"Mark!" Beth exclaimed as she hit his arm playfully, but Beth worried. What if the frontline warrior's feelings were a bit more serious? It's not something that would work after all she was a five foot nine human and he was an eighteen foot alien robot.

Sideswipe couldn't get his mind off the young human, she was all he thought about and that both annoyed and confused him. How could such a tiny organic do that? She was his charge not somebody who he could spend the rest of his life with. She would eventually marry a young man and live her life to the end. Maybe even Mark was the guy she'd marry.

Sunstreaker walked past his brother and patted him on the shoulder,

"What's bothering you, Sides?" he asked light heartedly, You seem to be confused, well at least that's what you've been sending me all morning,"

"Nothing," Sideswipe replied, "Yeah right and I'm am organic," he replied.

"It's Beth, I...oh look it's nothing," Sideswipe replied,

"Hmm, let me see your feelings for Beth have become one of more than guardianship...more than friends," Sunstreaker replied. Sideswipe looked at him alarmed, "Yes, I've received those as well. Have you spoken to her about your feelings?"

"No," Sideswipe replied, "It wouldn't work besides which it could spoil the relationship we have and her relationship which is just starting with Mark,"

"Bah," Sunstreaker replied, "From the little bit of time I've seen you two together you both seem to get on really well."

"Yes we do, she's a real gem and that's why I like her,"

"Then pursue her,"

"No, I won't," Sideswipe replied, "It would never work."

"Then you're glitched. If you like her that much then go and get her."

Sideswipe looked at Sunstreaker, this was very strange advice coming from a mech who had little opinion of organics. He laughed, Sunstreaker frowned,

"What's so funny?" he asked,

"You, giving out advice like that. You wouldn't even give an organic the time of day."

"I only want to see my brother happy." Sunstreaker replied, "Now how about you show me around this city."

* * *

><p>Beth placed her elbows on the table and rested her chin on her interlaced fingers and then looked at Mark, "So, how is life in the med bay?"<p>

Mark smiled as he ripped the top off the sugar packet, "Let's just say I've had an interesting morning,"

"Oh?" Beth raised an eyebrow, her curiosity piqued,

He lowered his voice and lean toward her so nobody would overhear the conversation, not that anybody was that close to them but they never knew who was listening, "Yeah, I had the pleasure of meeting Sunstreaker and voiced his opinion about having "an organic" looking at him. Moonracer was also there but said little and Bluestreak told him I wasn't that bad while Ratchet gave him a mouthful in their language. Anyway when it came time to check him over he had to be forced on the berth while I held the scanner and Ratchet stood there smirking with his arms crossed,"

Beth burst out laughing as she looked down at her coffee, "It sounds quite eventful then,"

He nodded, "Yeah, Hound is making a great improvement and Bluestreak sure can talk. He just doesn't stop, bless him," Beth smiled as she picked up her coffee cup with the mountain of froth on the top. Mark watched her with a smile, the bright light in the coffee shop was shining down on Beth highlighting her hair which was shiny where the light hit it. A little bit got on her nose but she didn't realise until Mark made signals suggesting she wipe it off.

"What?" Beth asked as she touched her nose and felt the froth, "Thank you," she picked up a serviette and wiped the froth off and then folded it and sat it under the saucer,

"I'm beginning to feel like a spare part in there though because First Aid is in there and he tends to help Ratchet a lot more than myself."

"Does he talk to you," Beth asked,

"Yes but he doesn't have the time for me, not like Ratchet does. I guess he thinks I'm not so well versed in Cybertronian medicine as he is so I can't be of any help."

Beth frowned, "Have you spoken to Ratchet about it?"

Mark shrugged his shoulders, "No they go way back," he replied as he picked up his cup.

Beth smiled at him, "Do you know what I think, we should have a BBQ,"

Mark chuckled, "It's would be too cold," he replied,

"Well we'll do one at lunchtime, it's still quite warm then," she exclaimed happily, "It would be a good way of uniting us all and letting those who have just arrived to get to know us," Beth was always careful not to mention the word Autobot in public, when people found out they worked for NEST they were often frowned upon.

A middle aged woman sat next to Mark and Beth with a cup of coffee, Beth looked at her and thought she would be better off in bed, she looked so ill. The woman turned to Beth with a sorrowful look and sneezed on her and then rooted around in her bag for a strip of tablets to ease her symptoms and a tissue, "_Thanks!"_ Beth thought.

Mark looked at her disgusted and turned to Beth, "Shall we leave?"

"Yes please," Beth replied.

Beth did up her coat while Mark disappeared for a minute. She looked out of the window of the cafe the sun was setting shrouding everything in a bright red glow. She looked at the woman sympathetically and hoped she'd feel better soon. The woman just sat at the table reading her book with her tissue in her hand.

Mark held the door open for Beth to pass through first, "That was a gross woman," he said as he stepped onto the pavement and frowned at the cold air.

"Aww don't be too hard on her Mark, she isn't very well."

"Well in that case she should be in bed, not contaminating everybody."

Sideswipe stood by the door and looked out at the red stained sky and buildings. The frontline warrior loved the way the sky was always different but he did notice a chill in the air heralding winter which meant snow. Sideswipe hated the snow, snow meant he got dirty quickly and his lovely silver body was covered in grit and grime. He smiled as he imagined his bright yellow twin coping with it too; he would most certainly have something to say about it.

He heard Beth before he saw her as her boots tapped on the bitumen road leading into the base. When he looked toward them she was wrapped up in her coat and her curly brown hair bounced on her shoulders.

Beth noticed the relieved look on Sideswipe's face and she frowned. She thought it strange that he would be looking out for her like this, he wasn't normally this over protective,

"Are you alright, Sideswipe?" Beth asked.

The frontline warrior kneeled down in front of Beth, "Yes, I've been asked to step up my guardianship of you by Bumblebee because Aiden threatened to kill you,"

Beth placed her hand on his, "He's not serious Sides," she replied softly with a gentle smile curling her lips, "It's just something us humans do when we get cross,"

"Well I still have to do what Bumblebee has asked of me,"

"Okay," Beth turned towards Mark, "Thanks for a nice afternoon, I enjoyed myself."

"You're welcome," Mark replied.

She turned back to Sideswipe, "Would you like to hang out?" she asked, "I'm back on shift tomorrow so let's get some time together. I haven't seen much of you since Sunstreaker arrived."

Sideswipe looked at her and smiled, "Alright, what would you like to do?"

She shrugged her shoulders, "I don't know," Beth turned to Mark, "Would you like to join us?"

"No," he replied, "I have a little sister who is twenty one today and she wants to skype me,"

"Oh okay, tell her happy birthday from me,"

"Will do," he replied as he walked up the corridor to his quarters.

The next couple to arrive back was Optimus Prime with Strobe. There was a lightness in Prime's and Strobe's voice as they chatted and transformed. The other Autobots looked up when they saw Prime walk into the main command area with Strobe looking happier and more contented.

Strobe turned to Prime, "I have had a nice time, Optimus Prime. Thank you."

* * *

><p>Aiden sat in front of William with his hands clasped firmly in his lap. He was expecting a good dressing down but that was not the case at all,<p>

"Look Aiden," William said, "We don't appreciate having a member of NEST threatened in such a way. I'm sure it was a heatof the moment thing but the Autobots won't see it like that."

"Yes sir," Aiden replied,

"The other thing is your family, Beth has requested that you be allowed to see your wife and children. We can arrange a meeting with your family but we can't let you go until we have resolved the issue of the canister. I need to speak to Optimus Prime first but I can't see him letting you go alone, you will have to go with other Autobots,"

"Thank you, sir. Can Beth come too?"

"If she isn't rostered on duty she can yes,"

Aiden nodded, this was the best he was going to get and he was grateful especially after everything he had done.

* * *

><p>Hope you enjoyed it.<p>

Reviews are enjoyed.


	13. Chapter 13

Disclaimer; There are oc's in this story but they are all I can claim as mine. Other than that everything else in the this story belongs to those who own Transformers.

* * *

><p>Next chapter 13<p>

Contamination.

Mirage and Optimus Prime were discussing the mission to find the missing canister. Prime had the notes Strobe had found in the safe open on his desk,

"Take Bumblebee with you and be careful," he warned, "We don't know who we are dealing with"

"Yes sir," Mirage replied in his heavy Italian accent.

The scout and the spy left the base and set off to the first point of their investigations...the research installation.

Charlotte bustled into NEST just as Mirage and Bumblebee were leaving and looked around the place, since the new arrivals the place was looking decidedly cramped and maybe it was time that NEST was moved out of Washington and back to its original base in New Jersey. She couldn't quite understand why they were moved from New Jersey in the first place, from what the reports were saying the group were quite happy there. Another thing she wanted to lay to rest was the missing canister. It was a loose end and she wanted to know what the Autobots were going to do about it.

"Who is this woman?" Sunstreaker asked

"Charlotte Mearing," Sideswipe sighed, "A not so pleasant member of the human race. We nearly lost the battle in Chicago because of her."

There was still a lot of contempt for the woman among the Autobots and many of them didn't acknowledge her arrival. William walked through the main double doors and greeted her civilly before contacting Optimus Prime. The automaton walked up to the catwalk and greeted Charlotte with respect,

"Optimus Prime what is the situation with the canister?" she asked stiffly. Prowl walked up to Optimus and stood beside him, a habit he'd picked up from his days as 2IC. He glared at her rather harshly,

"I have Autobots out looking for it now," Optimus replied,

"Were they the ones that just left?"

"Yes they were," Prime replied,

"How long will it be, I have people needing answers?"

Optimus Prime pushed air through his vents impatiently and narrowed his optics, "Charlotte Mearing," he spoke in a firm and authoritive tone, "If you kept a tighter rein on things this wouldn't have happened," he retorted angrily, "Myself, Strobe and any other Autobot is _not_ responsible for the disappearance of the canister of energon. You need to hope it doesn't get into the wrong hands before we find it because if it does we will deal with it anyway we see fit!"

"Optimus Prime," Charlotte replied, "I will not have you threatening me or anybody else,"

Optimus Prime got down to her level and looked at her squarely in the eye, "Miss Mearing," he replied dangerously, "That wasn't a threat that was a warning. I suggest you heed it!" He stood up straight and looked at her,

"I do not like her," Sunstreaker snarled, "She is an obnoxious squishy,"

"Huh, welcome to earth," Skids replied sarcastically as he stood beside the yellow frontline warrior.

* * *

><p>Beth woke up feeling not quite herself; her throat was a little tingly, her chest felt tight and she felt unwell. She got out of the bed but the twenty four year old suddenly felt dizzy and grabbed onto her table before she fell.<p>

"Great," Beth said as she watched the four plain white walls slowly stop moving and thought about her next move.

She could either take the time off work or she could just take something for it and continue with her day, after all it was just a cold wasn't it? If it wasn't just a cold then the woman in the cafe yesterday would have been at home. Beth decided on the latter, she loved her job as a soldier and she loved working in the NEST team so the last thing she wanted was for them to consider her a burden, and anyway she had already had loads of time off what with the injuries she'd gained during the battle and the attack from Simon.

Beth got dressed as normal and tamed her curls into a tight bun behind her head. Beth looked in the mirror, her skin looked a little pale and black rings were forming under her eyes. Whatever she had, Beth knew it wasn't going to be good but she was determined to fight it and carry on. She walked out of her room and went to the rec room to get a coffee, as she walked in she sneezed gaining everybody's attention.

William strode into the rec room as well and went to tell Beth about Optimus Prime's decision,

"Amersham," he called. Beth turned around to face the Lieutenent, "Are you okay, Beth? You don't look well,"

"Just a tickly throat, sir, I'll be okay to do my shift,"

"Alright then. Optimus Prime has agreed to letting Aiden see his wife and family but he will be under supervision,"

"Thank you, sir," Beth replied politely.

"Your welcome,"

The young woman picked up her breakfast of a coffee and a bagel but when she looked at it she couldn't face eating it, even the smell of the coffee was repugnant to her churning stomach, and that was unusual for Beth.

Sideswipe saw Beth sitting at the table alone with her elbow on the table and her head resting on her hand. The coffee was in front of her going cold and the bagel had been pushed away. She didn't seem her normal vibrant self and it made him feel like he wanted to pick her up and keep her with him for a day but the twenty four year old was working. One thing he knew he could do and that was activate his holoform because she sure looked like she could do with a hug.

Beth felt a hand on her shoulder,

"Are you okay, Beth?" he asked as he moved around to sit in front of her, "You don't seem yourself,"

"Yeah," she replied flatly. Beth's body jolted as she coughed a dry hacking cough and rubbed her chest, "A woman sneezed on me yesterday, I think I caught her cold,"

"I won't catch it will I?" Beth looked at him with dismay, she wasn't feeling well and here he was concerned that_ he'd_ catch it.

"Go and ask Ratchet?" she snipped as she trudged out of the rec room and to her post.

"Woah, you got the touch there Sideswipe," Strobe teased, "What did you say to her?"

"She isn't feeling well so I asked her if I was going to catch what she had?" he replied,

"Nice one, Sides." Strobe quipped, "Not very sensitive are you?"

"Yeah Sideswipe, it doesn't matter what species we are but a femme is a femme and when we are sick a little bit of sensitivity is what's needed," Moonracer laughed as you she beside Strobe,

"Well I see you two have become acquainted," Sideswipe replied,

"We're the only two femmes here. What do you expect us to do...ignore each other?" Strobe asked sarcastically, "I suggest you go and sort out that charge of yours,"

"She has a name," Sideswipe snipped as he left the rec room to find her. Moonracer and Strobe looked at each other and smirked.

Sunstreaker was walking up in the different direction to Beth and even though he didn't know her very well he did notice a change in her demeanour,

"What's wrong soldier girl?" he asked,

"Ask your brother!" she snapped.

Beth's snappy attitude annoyed by him, he stood there looking at her and narrowed his optics,

"Where is Sideswipe, shouldn't he be taking care of you?"

Beth shrugged her shoulders and put her hand up against her painful throat as she tried to swallow and pulled a pained face, "He's more concerned about catching what I have and besides which I don't need to be taken care of, Sunstreaker. He's my friend, not my wet nurse," Beth replied with a raspy voice.

She sneezed, Sunstreaker pulled a disgusted face, "You contaminated me, argh, I'm going to need deep cleaning now. Get away from me squishy," he replied as he pushed her. Beth stumbled backwards and scowled at him,

"Don't be ridiculous Sunstreaker," she replied as she got up and anchored her hands on her hips angrily, "And don't push me you brute."

Sunstreaker looked at her a little surprised. A squishy was standing up to him. He smirked at her and walked off to find his brother. Beth watched him and scowled before completing her journey to the human command area.

The soldier she was going to relieve looked up at Beth and smiled with relief at her arrival, he was tired and feeling a little bit jaded from the long night,

"Hi Beth, how are you?"

She shrugged her shoulders, "I'm okay I guess," she replied, "What's been happening?"

"Nothing much, we picked up a signal from outer space which was a little bit suspicious but it seems to have disappeared,"

Beth looked at the screen, it was certainly showing nothing abnormal, "Did you log it?"

"Yes I did and I told Lennox,"

"Cool," Beth replied.

The soldier yawned and stretched, "Well I'm turning in, it's been a long shift,"

Beth smiled at him and sat in the seat he was sitting in and ran through the log with the faint signature and frowned. It was certainly nothing she had seen before but there was nothing more they could do at the moment. Beth sat silently phasing in and out every now and then and went over her first real experience with Sunstreaker. He hadn't exactly endeared himself to her and she decided he was to be kept at a safe distance. Beth heard footsteps walking along the catwalk and smiled at the sound of her friend humming along to a tune she had heard. Jenna was on the same shift as Beth and took her seat next the twenty four year old,

"Ooh, you look terrible today, Beth," she said,

"Thanks," Beth groused as she looked at the screen, "You don't look so crash hot yourself,"

"I have my reasons," Jenna quipped.

Beth smirked, "Hard night on the town?"

"No," she replied defensively before turning to her screen.

As the morning went on Beth was becoming steadily worse, her throat felt like somebody was continually rubbing it with sandpaper and her head was pounding. On top of that her joints ached and she could feel herself getting warm. Jenna watched Beth as she sneezed for about the hundredth time that morning and blew her nose again,

"You know what?" she said, "You should be in bed,"

"No I shouldn't," Beth replied,

"Well you shouldn't be here, we're all going to get it."

Beth sighed, Jenna was right but she couldn't do anything about it now. William was not around and besides which her shift would be over at five o'clock and it was...only, Beth looked at her watch nine thirty am. She groaned as she placed her elbow on the desk, her head on her hand and slouched forward. She still had seven and a half hours to go.

Jenna looked at her concerned, "When did you last take something?" she asked,

"I haven't this is the worst I felt all morning,"

Jenna sighed she had forgotten her water bottle so she quickly went to get it and brought Beth back a glass of water and two painkillers. It was quiet for a while and Beth could feel herself drifting off to sleep. There was the sound of footsteps which stopped behind her and the hiss of hydraulics as a servo prodded her, she turned around to find a very concerned looking Sideswipe behind her. Beth's eyes widened as she looked at him and held her hands up,

"Oooh don't get too close to me Sideswipe. You might catch it," she teased

"Very funny," he replied, "I came to see how you are and to say I'm sorry for this morning."

Beth looked down at her feet and sniffed as she rubbed her itchy nose with her hand, "Yeah, you were a bit insensitive," she replied as she looked up at him.

Sideswipe noticed how her eyes were looking glazed and her skin pale, "I'm sorry," he said,

"It's okay, Sideswipe," she said as and sneezed again.

He stroked her face with his servo, she felt hot, "You have a fever," he said.

Jenna came back with the water and pain killers, "Here Beth, take these," she said as she handed them to her.

Beth took the water and the tablets and swallowed them, "I'll be alright," she replied but just as she said that she stumbled backwards and fainted.

Jenna caught her and laid her down in the recovery position and loosened her belt and then she called William. First Aid was walking through the command area and saw the young soldier lying on the catwalk and so did William as he walked through the door.

"Is everything alright?" First Aid asked,

"Beth is ill, and she has fainted," Jenna replied,

"Then she should be resting," he replied as he looked down at her and stroked her head, "I'll take her to the med bay, she feels quite hot," he said,

Beth groaned as her eyes fluttered open, she looked around at the sea of concerned faces looking at her,

"It's alright, Beth," Sideswipe called,

Beth went to get up but First Aid held her down, "Just rest sweetheart, you're ill,"

"I'm alright," she relied,

"No you're not Amersham. I'm putting you on sick leave it looks like you have flu,"

"What's flu?" First Aid asked,

"A virus," Jenna replied, "It makes us very ill,"

"Yeah, she'll be down for a week," William replied, "Have you called a doctor?" he asked Jenna,

"I'm here," a middle aged man replied as he bent down beside Beth and took her temperature. First Aid watched with a keen interest as the doctor treated Beth, "Thiry nine point four degrees," he said, "What have you come into contact with to get a temperature like that?" The doctor listened to her heart and checked her breathing, as he did she sneezed into her hands.

"Ohhh I feel so ill," she moaned as she allowed herself to fall backwards.

"You have the flu, Private Amersham," he replied, "Plenty of rest and fluids,"

He helped her up but as he did Beth started to feel dizzy again and stumbled. Sideswipe picked her up,

"Lay down," he said to Beth while placing her in his hand, "I'll take you home,"

"I feel awful, Sides," she moaned,

"I know sweetspark but we'll get you better," he said as he carried her into her quarters.

Beth lay in his hand helplessly too weak to do anything or even protest at being carried around. On their way they met Strobe who was also planning on seeing how Beth was after Sideswipe had treated her the way he did. She didn't like the young woman. Not yet. She still had a long way to go before she felt she could trust Beth but she did feel sorry for the young soldier, she looked so ill in the morning.

Strobe saw Sideswipe walking toward her with his hand held out. Strobe could just make out the form of Beth between Sideswipe's servos,

"What have you done to her?" Strobe asked,

"Nothing she's just got worst," he replied, I'm taking her to bed it's the best place for her,"

Strobe looked into Sideswipe's hand; Beth was laying in there all curled up and shivering. She was pale and listless, Strobe went to touch her with her finger, she felt warm to touch and sweaty and yet she was shivering. The femme looked at Sideswipe confused,

"Why does she feel hot and yet she is shivering like she is cold?"

"I don't know," Sideswipe replied, "I guess it's part of the illness,"

Strobe looked at her again and then at Sideswipe, "She looks like she's going to die,"

"Thanks...Strobe," Beth replied weakly, "I don't intend to die although I feel like I want to right now,"

"I need to get her to bed, Strobe, it is the best place for her. Come and walk with me," Sideswipe said,

Strobe thought about it for a moment before she finally nodded, "Okay," she replied.

Strobe stepped into Beth's quarters, she looked around; everything was so neat and organised. There wasn't a lot in Beth's quarters, she'd lost a lot of stuff from when she was burgled actually her flat still needed sorting out but Beth hadn't worked out what she wanted to do with that yet.

Sideswipe laid her on her bed but she sat up and pulled her beret off and her army shirt so that all she was wearing was her t shirt and army pants. Beth pulled the hair net and clips from her tight bun and let her curls fall around her shoulders. She flopped onto her pillow again and lay there silently while Sideswipe removed her boots,

"Now what do we do with her?" Strobe asked, "We can't leave her like this,"

"Yes we can," Sideswipe replied, "The best thing for her is complete rest,"

"How do you know?" Strobe asked,

"I don't, I'm just guessing because it's what Ratchet says to us when we're ill." Sideswipe replied,

"He's right," Beth murmured.

Ratchet entered her quarters with a jug of water and a glass, "First Aid told me what happened,"

"I'm alright," she said, "I've done this before,"

"No doubt you have," Ratchet replied, "But it's new for us." He squatted down next to her and stroked her hair, "Make sure you get plenty to drink, Beth and I'll check on you later,"

Beth smiled at him "You remind me of Ironhide, he fussed over me a lot when I hurt myself once, during training,"

Ratchet smiled sadly, he knew about how the old weapons specialist had taken a shine to Beth and took her under his wing. She never had the same relationship that he had with William Lennox and his family but it was pretty special,

"Thank you," he replied, he pulled the covers over her, "Just get some rest Beth." he said as he patted her arm gently a couple of times and left.

Strobe listened to the conversation intently; she had a relationship with his brother. She felt a connection to the young soldier through her brother she walked up to Beth and kneeled down in front of her,

"You knew my brother,"

Beth's eyes fluttered open, Sideswipe put his hand on Strobe's arm,

"Now is not the time, sweetspark," he said, "Wait until she's better and then you can speak to her about her connection with Ironhide,"

Strobe looked at Sideswipe, "I want to stay, to get to know her,"

Beth groaned, she wouldn't get any rest, "Sideswipe," she exclaimed,

"Strobe there will be plenty of time for that later, let Beth rest," he replied firmly.

Strobe looked at Sideswipe desperately, "We'll take it in turns, I'll get first watch,"

"Nah uh," Sideswipe replied, "You won't leave her alone. I'm taking first watch and you're leaving,"

"But..." Strobe went to argue,

"You heard him Strobe, Beth needs to rest." Ratchet replied, "You can both leave,"

Strobe flashed her optics angrily at the medic and stomped out of Beth's room. Ratchet and Sideswipe turned to each other and smirked,

"She's passionate, I'll give her that," Sideswipe said,

"She's always been passionate," Ratchet replied, "That's why Jazz liked her so much." He patted Sideswipe on the arm, "Look after Beth, I like her...a lot," he said his piercing optics blazing.

Beth smiled, she'd never heard the medic say how much he liked a human and some told her that he barely tolerated them. Ironhide had told her that one or two humans had made their way into the old medics spark, one of them was Mikaela and when they did they had a friend for life. Now it looked like she had the honour as well.

Strobe sat in the rec room silently sulking, what was so important about this human, she was organic, insignificant and...,

"What's up with you?" Moonracer asked,

"Nothing," Strobe groused as she folded her arms and turned away from the turquoise femme,

"Huh, I heard about how you sulk a lot, now I can see it's true," she said and perched on a chair in front of the table where Strobe sat.

Strobe looked at her and narrowed her optics, "I don't sulk," she barked.

Moonracer laughed, "Yes you do, Ironhide told me you do." she laughed again as a memory emerged "I remember when you were sulking because Ironhide wanted to go out with Chromia instead of spend time with you. It was so funny,"

"There was nothing funny about it," she bellowed, "And Ironhide wouldn't have said that to anybody about how I sulk,"

Moonracer knew that wasn't true, Ironhide always complained about how Strobe sulked but to take this any further would have aggravated the femme. Despite their differences they were close but now he was gone so she had nobody she could say were her close family. Sure she was a member of the Autobot family but they weren't tied by energon,

"Seriously Strobe, what's wrong?" Mooracer asked sympathetically.

Strobe shrugged her shoulders, she wanted to stay with Beth for her own selfish needs and she knew it. She wiped a tear from her cheek but it wasn't as discreet as she would have liked,

"Come to my quarters, Strobe. Let's talk" Moonracer said

Strobe didn't need to be asked twice; she got up and followed the turquoise warrior to her quarters, flopped on her berth and broke down. Moonracer held her until she'd stopped crying, she didn't say anything or do anything until she was sure the jade green and black femme was ready to talk,

"I heard about what happened to you, you've been through a lot," Moonracer said gently.

Strobe nodded.

"Jazz is gone, Ironhide is gone. You were very close to them both."

Again Strobe nodded.

"And now you're on a strange planet with tiny organics who tortured you and one of them is here,"

"Not just one of them, the sister of one of them as well. It's just that I found out she was really close to Ironhide as well."

"Ahhhh, Strobe," Moonracer replied, "I'm so sorry,"

"I wanted to talk to her but Sideswipe said not now because she is ill,"

There was a moments silence before Moonracer spoke carefully, "Beth looked very ill this morning you knew that Strobe,"

"I know I know," she sobbed, "And I know I was being selfish but it just seemed to make me want to connect with her a bit more when I found out how close she was to my brother."

Another minute's silence.

"Strobe just because you couldn't speak to Beth then doesn't mean you can't later. She just needs to rest right now. I read about the flu and it makes the humans very ill."

Strobe lifted her head off of Moonracer's shoulders and looked at the turquoise blue femme,

"I know," she replied, "I was being selfish,"

"Not selfish," Moonracer replied, "You're grieving Strobe, it's only natural you'd want to know about Ironhide and how he died and lived, but just be patient and let Beth get better. There is going to be plenty of time to speak to Beth, my understanding is she sees us as her family because she doesn't have any so I believe she's going to be round for a long time. Have you tried to get to know her?"

Strobe shook her head, "She's the sister of Aiden Amersham," Moonracer was blown away by this, "Wow, she's so different. You know we could get to know her together, she seems like a respectable human,"

Strobe had never thought about it like that, a respectable human...she frowned and cocked her head. Was there such a thing? Moonracer seemed to think so,

"How can there be respectable humans, look at what they did to me," she asked,

"Look at us Cybertronians, Strobe," Moonracer replied, "Look at us, Strobe. Did you not torture Decepticons? I was out there shooting them along with everybody else,"

Strobe looked at her through narrowed optics, "That was different, Moonracer and you know it!" Strobe retorted angrily, "We had to fight,"

Optimus Prime overheard the raised voices of Moonracer and Strobe, he thought about knocking and seeing if everything was alright but decided to leave them to resolve this themselves.

Moonracer stood up and faced Strobe, "And so did Beth, in a battle she didn't have to fight in, anybody who does that earns respect in my eyes," Moonracer retorted sharply.

Strobe thought about it for a moment, she slid off the berth and stood with her back to Moonracer. She nodded slowly and looked down,

"You're right," she croaked, "You're absolutely right. I've been a glitch,"

Moonracer raised an optic ridge, "I wouldn't go that far," she said. She walked up to Strobe and looked at her compassionately, "Get to know her, if Ironhide could then you can." A pained expression crossed Strobe's face as she looked down again,

"Alright...I will," she replied.

* * *

><p>Ratchet went back to the med bay, Leadfoot was already in there helping Hound with his new helmet while Mark watched with fascination and First Aid was running a final scan on Bluestreak, who for once is quiet,<p>

"How is Beth?" First Aid asked,

"She is very ill with the flu," Ratchet replied

"Huh, I'm not surprised; some sick women sneezed on her yesterday in the cafe,"

"That's disgusting," Bluestreak replied,

"Bad mannered as well," Leadfoot retorted,

"Is she alone?" Mark asked,

"Sideswipe is with her," Ratchet replied,

Mark frowned, "I'll go and visit her later,"

First Aid chuckled, "If you can get past Sideswipe, has anybody else noticed how close he is to her?"

Mark smirked, "I have," he replied.

Sunstreaker suddenly burst into the med bay, "I need a deep clean, I've been contaminated," he groused as he marched up to Ratchet.

The not so pleased CMO glowered at Sunstreaker, "What is this the meaning of this," he bellowed,

"That human female soldier sneezed on me and now I've been contaminated. I need a deep clean! Argh! I feel so dirty, she is so disgusting. They all are,"

Mark looked at the bright yellow transformer pacing the med bay floor with bewilderment. He couldn't quite grasp what his problem was; the humans always caught viruses,

"Calm yourself Sunstreaker," Ratchet snapped,

"No, I won't calm myself. That femme is disgusting," he held out his arms and shook his hands as he inspected himself for any signs of contamination, "She should be put into quarantine,"

Ratchet looked around for a wrench and found one near Hound, "Mark get out of here," he bellowed.

The human soldier had never seen Ratchet this mad before. He quickly slid down the ladder and run out of the med bay while those within the direct path of the medic's missile ducked.

Clang!

"Owww!" Sunstreaker bellowed,

"Pick it up!" Ratchet barked.

Sunstreaker glared at the CMO, picked up the wrench and took it back to Ratchet. The seventeen foot robot snatched it from the frontline warrior, he stood in front of Sunstreaker still glaring daggers at him,

"_That femme_..." Ratchet repeated sarcastically, "...Happens to be a soldier who fought against the Decepticons and an integral member of the NEST team and you will not refer to her in such a derogatory manner again." he continued as he prodded Sunstreaker's chest, "Your only problem is me because I will _not _tolerate that sort of behavior again. Now get out of here!" Sunstreaker growled, if Ratchet wasn't going to do anything than he would take things into his own hands, "And you leave Beth alone," Ratchet bellowed after him, "Or you'll have another dent to match the one you already have,"

Mark walked back into the med bay, "What was that?" he asked with a smile,

"That was Sunstreaker at his worst," Hound replied,

"Wow I hope he's better at his best,"

"Nope," Bluestreak replied, "Watch him; he is quite a vain mech who will happily squash any organic who happens to wonder too close to him."

There was a snicker in the med bay as Mark pulled a face. "_A narcissist robot...the mind boggles," _he thought.

Mark looked at Ratchet who was still seething at the frontline warrior, he knew what he was going to do and felt it prudent to go and rescue Beth before the frontline warrior got to her.

* * *

><p>Meanwhile Strobe had decided she would go and visit Beth, she stood silently in the sick woman's quarters quarters for a moment and watched Beth as she slept. The soldier sniffed and moaned as she moved under her covers and then coughed. It was deep raspy cough and by the sound of Beth's second moan it was hurting her. Strobe sat herself against a wall and activated her holoform, which approached Beth and touched her forehead. She was hot. Very hot.<p>

The holoform shook Beth gently, "Beth, wake up," Beth wouldn't respond, "Beth," she called again, "Beth wake up,"

Beth stirred slowly, "Go away," she moaned as she went to hit at the intrusion to her sleep. A hand grabbed Beth's arm, "Beth wake up," Strobe said again.

Beth turned towards the familiar voice, "Strobe?" she exclaimed as she sat up and winced at the pain in her head,

"Beth, you're too hot...,"

"Yeah, I'm aching too," she replied,

"Then I must call Ratchet," Strobe said.

Beth didn't miss the concern lacing Strobe's voice and smiled, "No Strobe, you don't need to call Ratchet, I can take care of myself. I have some...," she felt her pockets for the ibuprofen but it wasn't there, she sighed as she threw the covers back and got off the bed,

"What do you need Beth?" Strobe asked,

"My Ibuprofen, I think it was at the post I was working at this morning." Beth replied but as she stood up she became dizzy and stumbled,

"Careful," Strobe said as she held onto the young woman.

She cringed as she held onto Beth, this was an organic and she was holding her. Yuk! How gross! However, Strobe was careful not to express her feeling in word or touch so as not to offend the sick woman because she had come here of her own initiative,

"You had better lay back down, Beth, you're too sick to be moving about. I'll get your i...ibu...what did you call it?" she asked with a puzzled expression on her face.

Beth smiled, "Ibuprofen," she replied,

"Yeah, that!" she pulled the covers back over Beth, "I'll be back in a minute,"

Beth lay on her bed and looked at the ceiling, she frowned, "_Hang on a minute; that was Strobe, w__hat has got into her?" _

Beth watched as her holoform disappeared and her real form came back to life and left Beth's quarters. Strobe made her way through the base and up to the catwalk to where Jenna was sitting. Jenna caught Strobe out of the corner of her eye and watched her suspiciously to see what her next move would be,

"Calm down human," Strobe snapped, "I've come for Beth's ibuprofen,"

Strobe watched Jenna as relief washed over her features, "They're here," she dipped her hand in her pockets and handed Strobe the strip of tablets. "She needs some more; I'll get them for her when I go off duty,"

"That's very kind of you," Strobe replied as she took the medicine strip.

Jenna was a bit puzzled with this change in Strobe but she smiled at her as she asked how Beth was. Strobe shrugged her shoulders,

"She's hot and complaining of aching,"

"That's to be expected," Jenna replied matter of factly.

Strobe became offended by Jenna's lack of interest in her friend, "Don't you care?" she asked.

Jenna turned back to the screen briefly to see if the signal had changed at all, "Yes I do," Jenna replied. She looked back at Strobe, "But this is nothing new to us," she continued, "Tell Beth I'll visit her later when I drop in some more ibuprofen." Strobe nodded, "Oh...and thanks...for fetching her medicine. Beth has a habit of just suffering,"

"Why?" Strobe asked,

"I'll let Beth tell you when she's ready," Jenna replied, "She told me in confidence,"

"Confidence...what's that?" Strobe asked,

"Beth told me in private to be kept as a secret. She finds it hard to trust people because she was hurt as a child, so be careful Strobe because she is very sensitive."

Strobe frowned, all these times she'd been unkind to her not knowing that she was already hurting. She made her way back to Beth's quarters, poured a glass of water which she handed to Beth along with the strip of medication,

"Thanks Strobe," she said.

Strobe smiled at her, "Get some rest," she said, "I'll call in on you later." Beth frowned, she knew they were making progress but she didn't think they'd got this far.

She drifted back into a restless sleep grateful for the femme's show of concern but she was disturbed by her door being opened and shut again and feet stomp towards her,

"Femme, wake up!" an angry voice barked. Strobe opened her eyes a little to see who was there and met Sunstreaker's angry optics, "You have contaminated me femme. What are you going to do about it?"

"Nothing," she replied as she rolled over.

Sunstreaker growled and narrowed his optics, "Don't you turn your back on me, squishy."

Beth rolled back over, the yellow frontline's face was right above hers, "If you're that worried about me _contaminating _you why are you in here now?" she yelled and coughed as she held her chest and pulled a face. Sunstreaker stopped and stood up straight and then he bent down over her,

"Well I'm already contaminated so it doesn't really matter now does it?" he replied sarcastically.

All Beth wanted to do was sleep but she wasn't willing to close her eyes while Sunstreaker was in here. Who knows what he would do to her while she was sleeping, "Sunstreaker ," she rasped in a frustrated tone, "Get out of here,"

The yellow frontline warrior glowered at her, "Are you ordering me around. Don't you know what I could do to you?" he asked quietly

Beth sneezed again,

"Eew that is so disgusting" Sunstreaker snarled, "All you organics are disgusting and germy and gross,"

Sunstreaker..." Beth rasped, "Get out of here before I use you for a tissue," she snarled,

"What did you say?" he asked as he bent over, "Don't you dare touch me with your germy fingers, _organic!"_ he snarled back.

Beth had had enough of the yellow frontline warrior she sprang out of her bed and picked up the first thing she saw...her boot,

"Get out!" she screamed as she hurled it at him and then burst into a fit of coughing.

Ratchet was almost near Beth's quarters when he heard her scream at the frontline warrior. He burst through her door and caught the boot as it flew through the air. He looked at the sick soldier who had flopped back on her bed visibly upset and the frontline warrior who was watching her victoriously. Sunstreaker turned to see who had just come in and met Ratchet's piercing optics,

"Out!" he barked as he pointed to the door, "Wait for me outside while I deal with Beth,"

"Yeah deal with her, she contami...,"

There was a range of noises and sounds from the medic and a wrench hit the frontline warrior across the helm...again. Beth rolled her eyes and turned around to get back into bed. The CMO watched him leave with his tail between his legs and turned back to Beth,

"Alright?" he asked,

"Yes thanks, Ratchet," she replied, "Thanks for coming when you did. He's nothing like his brother,"

Ratchet chuckled as he pulled the covers over Beth and helped her to feel more comfortable, "Sideswipe isn't that much better when he gets going. Get some rest now, Sunstreaker won't be disturbing you anymore." He replied.

Sideswipe was coming to visit Beth when he saw his brother outside looking shamefaced. He walked up to the his twin and playfully punched him in the arm before giving Sunsreaker a hug but the frontline warrior pushed him away,

"What's up with you?" Sideswipe asked,

"Ask your charge?" Sunstreaker replied sarcastically.

At that moment Ratchet walked out and glared at both the twins before he turned back to Sunstreaker,

"Med bay. Now!" he barked.

Sideswipe looked at the medic who was glaring angrily at his brother and his face darkened, "What did you do?" he asked.

Sunstreaker rolled his optics and walked off with Ratchet while Sideswipe walked into Beth's room,

"Hey, Beth, it's me sweetspark,"

A smile lightly graced Beth's pale face, "Sideswipe," she croaked before her body jolted,

"What happened?" he asked her,

"Strobe and Sunstreaker came to visit me,"

"Strobe did?" Sideswipe asked,

"Yeah, it was very strange, she actually cared for me. Which is more than what Sunstreaker did." Beth sat up, the ibuprofen had eased her aching joints and her headache, "Apparently I contaminated him," she replied through a blocked up nose

A smirk formed on Sideswipe's face, "You contaminated my brother?" he asked,

"Yes, I sneezed on him so he came in and became quite offensive," she replied,

"Well why doesn't that surprise me? You will have to excuse my brother he is a little vain,"

"Well according to Ratchet you're not much better. Is that a weakness, Sideswipe?" she teased,

Sideswipe frowned, "It seems you're feeling better," he replied,

She sniffed making her blocked up nose worst, "For de bobendt, de ibuprofen has kicked in,"

Sideswipe looked at her and burst into laughter, "You're talking funny,"

"Sidedwipe," she whined as she hit him playfully, "By dose is blocked up, of course I dalk fuddy."

They sat there quietly for a while before Beth looked at him and screwed her face up, "Sides, why are you here anyway?"

He looked down at her and smiled, "Because I care about you," he replied, "Can't a friend, do that?"

Beth shrugged her shoulders, "I suppose," she replied lightly.

Sideswipe moved around so he was facing her, "Beth, I really care about you," he replied sincerely.

Beth's stomach nearly fell through the floor, was he saying...he loves her? How can that work, she was only five foot nine human and he was sixteen foot Cybertronian.

* * *

><p>Well that took Beth by surprise. What happens now?<p> 


	14. Chapter 14

**Disclaimer; transformers and their merchandise don't belong to me.**

Okay in this chapter we're going to see a change in Aiden and he is going to start realising that the Autobots are actually not a species to be feared. I have really enjoyed writing this chapter and I am so happy that the story went this way for Aiden.

I brought Aiden's wife and daughter a bit more into this chapter. It was fun!

* * *

><p>Chapter 13<p>

The unexpected.

Beth had been ill for at least two or three days, sometimes she'd awaken to the sound of silence and other times she'd be aware of somebody in her room but she was just too ill to care and she'd just drift back off to sleep again. Aiden had noticed the unusual absence of his sister and he was beginning to wonder if everything was okay. He made his way to her quarters and knocked on her door but there was no answer,

"Beth," he called gently, "Are you in there?"

Sunstreaker walked past him and eyed him suspiciously; this was the untrustworthy human who had caused Strobe a whole load of pain. Aiden looked up at Sunstreaker but ignored him and turned back to what he was doing, checking on his sister. He knocked a little harder and called a little bit louder and this time he could just make out a soft moan and the sound of a body moving in her room but that was all,

"Beth," he called again.

This time the twenty four year old heard him, she groaned as she got out of bed. The room spun out of control and she could do nothing except to flop back on her bed and look up at the ceiling helplessly. Beth tried once more to stand up and get to the door, she was sure it was her brother's voice she could hear on the other side and she really wanted to see him to see how he was. That was so typically Beth, she cared about others before she thought of herself.

Beth's door opened to reveal the sick looking soldier in her scrunched up army greens and mussed hair,

"You look dreadful," Aiden exclaimed to his sister, "What happened?"

"Some woman sneezed over me when I was out with Mark and this is the result," she replied through her blocked up nose.

"Yuk...that's gross," he exclaimed, "Go and lay back down. Is there anything you need?"

"A coffee would go a looong way," Beth replied and a slice of toast,

"Is that all?" he asked with a concerned voice, "What about ibuprofen or some honey and lemon,"

"No, Strobe and Sideswipe are keeping me drugged up,"

Aiden smiled, he knew Sideswipe would look after his sister; he never seemed to be far away from her. The young man made his way to the rec room alone, leaving Beth with her thoughts.

She couldn't help but think of Sideswipe's confession when he last came to visit her. Her reaction had taken him by surprise and since then he hadn't been to see her, but he said he just cared for her, that was all so that was good, wasn't it? How could a giant alien robot be in love with a human twenty four year old?

"Impossible!" Beth stated to herself but she would always get a doubtful feeling that Sideswipe's feeling were more than one of caring.

Sideswipe hadn't been to visit her for a while; he wasn't quite expecting the reaction she had given him and she was relieved with that. She needed time to think about what he said to her although it would be nice if he did come and visit if for no other reason than that they were good friends, well more than friends now...apparently!

Aiden came back with her coffee and toast, "Ahh thnks," she said and sat up in bed, "So tell me...," she said, "...How are you doing...with all this...being here and coping with the Autobots," He shrugged his shoulders, he still felt like he was a prisoner there and he was still waiting to visit his family, nothing with that appeared to be happening , "You haven't answered my question," she said,

"Honestly Beth? I'd like to say I'm getting used to it but I'm not. I want to get back to my family and forget this whole affair. I wish I'd met them under better circumstances and maybe I could then appreciate them a little bit more but I can't. I'm never going to get past the one who hurt Strobe,"

Beth reached forward and held his hand, "Don't worry," she said, "Colonel Lennox is sorting out the possibility of seeing your family, and as far as the other one is concerned why not try and work with them. There are a lot of unanswered questions to which you may hold the key, don't worry about Strobe's threat Optimus won't let her harm you."

Aiden sighed, she was right. He did have a lot of answers to their questions. Maybe it was time he stopped living in fear of what could happen to him now that Simon was facing trial and stand up for himself,

"Okay," he replied, "I'll do that."

Beth smiled at him weakly,

"Have you been in contact with your family?" she asked,

"No," Aiden replied, "Not since she threatened me with divorce,"

Beth frowned, "I have her number here, maybe we could speak now,"

Beth reached over for her phone and scrolled down her list of numbers. She hesitated at Sideswipe's as the memory of his last words hurtled to the front of her mind. She shook her head and continued searching for his home number. She pressed the call button and handed it to Aiden,

"It's ringing," she said.

Aiden took the phone and waited for the calming tone of his wife's voice,

"_Hi Beth how are you?"_ she asked,

"Not Beth, Aiden," he replied

There was a stunned silence on the other end, "_Aiden...why didn't you tell me what was happening?"_ she asked. Aiden loved listening to her dulcet tone, it was so soothing and gentle and brought him great comfort, "_I had no idea how much trouble you were in baby. I feel so terrible I threatened you with divorce and everything,"_

"You heard?" Aiden asked uncertainly,

"_Yes...a colonel Lennox told me as much as he could without giving too much information,"_

"Michelle, I'm sorry," he replied, "I was scared for you, the children...,"

"_Don't be, we're safe,"_ she replied, "_We've been moved to a safe house,"_ Relief poured through Aiden's body and he felt like a massive burden was lifted off his shoulders., "t_he children miss you, they are looking forward to seeing you,"_

Aiden heard a high pitched squeal in the background, "_Listen I have to go, the children need my attention. Don't worry honey, we will meet up soon. Stay strong okay, baby?"_

"I will," he replied, "I love you Michelle,"

"_I love you too but be upfront with me Aiden, it will make things a lot easier and I will be able to understand," _

"I will, I promise," he replied.

Aiden hang up and gave Beth back her phone, "Thank you," he said,

"Not a problem," Beth replied, "But if you don't mind I'm just feeling a little tired,"

"Sure, sorry," he said, "I have taken up too much your time already. Get some rest Beth and I will visit you later,"

Beth smiled as she moved the plate and mug to the table beside her bed, "Thanks Aiden,"

He got off her bed and walked to the door, "Aiden?" she called. He looked at Beth over his shoulder, "Get to know them, they're not bad at all,"

"I will," he promised.

She watched him leave before laying back down and her thoughts went back to the silver frontline warrior who all but declared his love to her.

Aiden smiled as he thought about the phone call he'd just had and for the first time in a long time he could see hope.

"Aiden," a voice bellowed behind him, "Aiden turned around and found Mark trotting up behind him, "How's Beth?"

"She's pretty ill," Aiden replied, "She's resting at the moment,"

"Hm, that's good. Have you seen her?"

"As a matter of fact I've just come from her room," Aiden replied, "I didn't realize how ill she was,"

"Yeah well you have kinda tucked yourself away a bit," Mark replied, "It's good to see you out,"

"Thanks," Aiden replied, "It's just..." he looked down, "...I've been a bit of an idiot,"

"You...?" Mark asked, "Nah. Who knows what somebody else would have done in your situation. I've heard that if it wasn't you Strobe wouldn't be alive,"

"That's debatable," Aiden replied,

"Indeed it is," a cold hard voice replied behind him. Aiden turned around and met Jade green legs, his eyes wondered up Strobe's body until he met her cold sapphire optics, "But Mark is right, I would have been dead if you hadn't told me to leave in the forest," she crouched down so she was looking at the young man at his level. Her hands planted firmly on the ground with Mark standing in between her massive black fingers. Mark stood rooted to the spot with a mixture of awe and fear, "Thank you," she replied warmly, "I am grateful. Now if you don't mind I have some other business to take care of."

Strobe wondered through the corridors in the direction of Optimus Prime's office while Aiden watched her speechless. Mark smiled at him,

"You okay there?" he asked, "You look like you've seen a ghost,"

"Yh...Yeah...," Aiden replied as he run his fingers through his tightly curled brunette hair,

"Hey how about we go out for a drink,"

He turned to Mark, "Okay," he replied.

Strobe heard about the mission Bumblebee and Mirage were on and she was going to go and question Optimus about it. At first she was hurt that she hadn't been considered for the mission but then she became angry. The Autobot leader hadn't heard from Mirage or Bumblebee for a while and it was quiet so he decided now was an ideal time to take time out to reflect and catch up on some much needed recharge. Optimus Prime left the running of the base in the capable hands of Prowl who had now become his TIC and he was sitting in a chair with a data containing a novel Elita had once brought for him to read. His only one regret was she wasn't here to see him enjoy it.

The seventeen foot femme Autobot marched through the base and up to the door to Optimus Prime's office. Prowl saw her and walked up behind her,

"He's not in there," the TIC said.

"Where is he?" she snapped.

Prowl narrowed his optics, "He doesn't want to be disturbed,"

"I said," Strobe retorted, "Where is he?"

"He doesn't want to be disturbed," Prowl replied again patiently.

Strobe rolled her optics and vented loudly, "Fine! I'll find him myself!"

Strobe marched through the base and up to Prime's door, there was no sound coming from the room nor was there a light but there were no cracks in the door for the light to flow through. Strobe looked at the key pad, deciphering the code would be easy, she had done it many times before; what was stopping her was the room she was breaking into was Optimus Prime's quarters, his place of peace and calm...and she was going to chew him out.

She stood there quietly for a moment, he had shown her so much tolerance and kindness when many times he could have just punished her. Did she want to let him down now?

No!

Strobe tapped on the door with her servos politely and waited for him to answer. On the other side was the muffled sound of hydraulics as the Autobot leader walked to the door and the soft swish of the door opening, he didn't miss the stirring in his spark when he saw her standing there looking furious. Once again Optimus Prime was surprised to see her there but this time he didn't let her in, he was a little miffed that the femme was disturbing his peace. The Autobots knew that when Prime was in his quarters it was his time and he really didn't want to be disturbed,

"Is anything the problem, Strobe?" Prime asked rather sharply.

Strobe narrowed her optics, "Well yes there is," she replied and the passionate onslaught started, "I should have gone on that mission with Mirage and Bumblebee, I am a spy and a good one too..." her hand was planted on her chest.

Optimus Prime couldn't help but notice how beautiful she was when she was this passionate but she had over stepped the mark and she had to be put in her place, "I don't have to explain myself to you Strobe..." he replied firmly,

"But...," Optimus put up his hand stopping Strobe instantly,

"You are too closely involved in this one, Strobe. It is unethical for you to be part of the investigation; you know that from your days on Cybertron. The humans have you down as a key witness and that is how you can be part of the investigation."

"Optimus...," she tried to interject,

"That is my decision and you will not question or disturb me anymore," he bellowed.

Strobe knew instantly that Optimus was asking her to leave and she also knew that she had over stepped the line. She looked up at the Autobot leader who was scowling at her with his arms crossed, but she wasn't expecting his next move. The Autobot leader grabbed the femme into himself and kissed her. Strobe squawked with surprise and clenched her hands into fists just above his chest

He pushed her away and chuckled at Strobe's confusion, "O-Optimus..." she stuttered, "Wh-wh-what did you d-d-do that for? I uhhhh...uhmmmm...," she rubbed the back of her helm while her cheeks sparkled brightly making Prime burst into laughter, "Fine...laugh at me!" she snapped and ran off.

Optimus Prime wasn't sure what surprised him most the impulsive act of kissing Strobe or her reaction. The femme always seemed to be so in control of herself and yet he had turned her into a gibbering wreck. He sat back down and picked up his data pad, he tried to get into his novel but his mind kept wondering back to the feisty femme who had just turned up on his door and her reaction to his kiss.

Optimus Prime looked around his quarters, there were no memories of Elita there, she was dead before the Autobot/human alliance left for Washington. He vented sadly, the memories of her when they first met still so strong in his processor like it was only yesterday but now they were in a period of peace. How long for? Nobody knew but it was a source of comfort to the Autobot leader that those that had fallen had not fallen in vain. Optimus laid his data pad on the table and lay on his berth, he stretched out his hand to the space where Elita used to lay and shuttered his optics.

Strobe came to the entrance of the base and listened to the traffic driving past; cars, trucks, motor cycles...all carrying their anonymous drivers to their destinations. It was tempting for Strobe to go out there and be part of the traffic. She could just switch on her holoform and be like every other anonymous vehicle for a while. Nobody would know who or what she was and there were no Decepticons to disturb her.

She lifted her head and looked up at the stars it was certainly a nice night to go out for a drive. Strobe started to wonder how many Autobots were there still lost to the stars and trying to find their way to earth. She'd heard that so many didn't make it during the evacuation and so many were lost to the stars and who knew where they were now. She heard the sound of footsteps approaching her from behind, her sensors told her it was Sunstreaker,

"What do you want?" she snipped,

"Well that's no way to speak to a me...Sunstreaker...the greatest fighter in town."

Strobe rolled her optics, "That's a matter of opinion," she replied.

He came and stood beside her, "It's a beautiful night," he said.

Strobe looked up at the night sky, there weren't many stars because they were in the city but it was certainly a beautiful night. She smiled as memories of her home on Iacon flashed through her processor,

"Kinda reminds me of home," she replied in a melancholic tone,

Sunstreaker looked up at the lights shining down in the darkness and the rich velvety ebony sky, "Yeah, I guess it does in a way." he replied, "Who would have known Cybertron would have been destroyed, now we're stuck on this piece of organic mudball,"

"Huh, it's better than some of the places I've seen," Strobe retorted sarcastically, "Even the inhabitants aren't that bad, apart from the odd human,"

"Can't stand the tiny squishys myself and the sooner we got off this planet the better," Sunstreaker sneered,

"We're not getting off this planet," Strobe replied, "Cybertron is gone and we have been granted refugee status,"

Sunsteaker stepped outside and turned to face the jade green femme. The street lamp shone brightly on his yellow paint, he looked at the seventeen foot femme who was leaning against the doorpost with her arms folded,

"What about you and Optimus Prime?" Strobe looked at him with surprise, "I've seen you two together and so has Sideswipe, he says you look happy together,"

"There's nothing between us," Strobe replied quickly, "He has been there for me when I've most needed it,"

"Hm," Sunstreaker replied.

There was a comfortable silence between them, the yellow mech slid around so he was facing the femme, "So how would you like to come out with the most handsome mech on the base for a drive?"

Strobe burst into laughter, "That's also a matter of opinion, Sunstreaker," she replied, "Personally I think your vanity gets in the way," she pushed the frontline warrior away and walked back to her quarters.

"Oh ho ho, you don't mean that," he laughed haughtily

Strobe raised her optic ridges, "Yes I do," she replied, "Your reputation precedes you, Sunstreaker," she replied as she walked around the mech, "Both of you,"

"Well of course, I was the greatest warrior that Cybertron had ever seen," he replied.

Strobe laughed at him again, "Yeah...we know. Everybody knew,"

"So tell me how is that pathetic little squishy,"

"That pathetic little squishy is called Beth and she is doing fine considering her flu and everything else she has had to put up with,"

"Like what?" Sunstreaker asked,

Beth shrugged her shoulders, "I don't know, I've just heard things were tough for her growing up,"

The temperature was dropping rapidly and a haze was forming around the lights and the moon,

"We'd better go inside," Strobe said, "The humans get cold very quickly,"

"Pathetic!" Sunstreaker snarled.

* * *

><p>William and Aiden sat at a table opposite at the far end of the mess area. It was smaller than the one where the humans and Autobots gathered together and tucked away in the human part of the base. Light streamed in through the large windows from the winter sun and two coffee mugs sat on the table with steam rising from the freshly brewed coffee. William was leaning forward a little bit with his feet tucked under his chair and he was holding his coffee mug with his massive hand. Aiden on the other hand was perched on the edge of his seat and looking around nervously in case any of the Autobots would happen to walk in.<p>

William smiled a little bit, "Relax," he said, "The Autobots won't come in here, this is our area so we can have a break from being around them all the time. We need to talk about you meeting your family and one idea we came up with was arranging the meeting in a favourite place of yours. It would be less threatening to your wife and children,"

"Will the Autobots be around?" Aiden asked,

"Yes they will but your wife won't see them, they will be in their disguises and keeping an eye out for trouble. You will travel with me in one of them but don't worry you will be fine,"

"Who?" Aiden asked,

"We don't know yet, Optimus and I have to discuss this, but I'm thinking along the lines of Prowl or Bluestreak,"

Aiden looked thoughtful for a minute, "What about Beth?" he asked,

"At the moment she's on sick leave and can't go anywhere. I won't allow it and neither will the doctor on call and Ratchet would have something to say about it as well."

William frowned at the thought of the grouchy medic expressing his opinion over Beth even leaving her quarters in the present state she was in. He didn't normally have anything to do with humans when they were sick but it didn't stop him voicing his not always wanted opinion,

"Okay...yeah I saw her yesterday. Bed is the best place for her," Aiden agreed.

Small stirrings of hope bubbled away in Aiden's stomach while he talked about seeing his family for the first time in months. He hadn't seen them for ages and wondered what his girls now looked like. Aiden looked at William,

"I just can't wait to see my girls," he said warmly.

William knew exactly what Aiden was talking about; he missed Sarah and Annabelle every minute of every day and hated being away from them for long periods of time,

"I know what you mean, he replied with a warm smile.

Aiden looked at William; it hadn't occurred to him that the Colonel was a family man, "Do you have a child,"

"Yes I do," he replied, "A wife and daughter,"

Aiden nodded, "How old?"

"Annabelle is four and Sarah is pregnant with our second child,"

"Hmm, that's nice," Aiden replied, "Do they know about the Autobots,"

"Yes they do. Ironhide was very close to us and became a good family friend as well as a guardian to us,"

"Ironhide?" Aiden asked,

"He was an Autobot who died before the battle in Chicago," William's voice cracked as he spoke about Ironhide "We all loved him very much, especially Annabelle, she loved him to bits and she is taking his loss very hard."

"I'm sorry to hear that," Aiden replied solemnly.

The whole concept of the Autobots being family friends was foreign to the young man and he was beginning to wonder if he had them pitched all wrong, and maybe Simon had fed them all a load of lies. He watched as William sat there silently with a sad expression on his face while he thought about the massive black mech who had wormed his way into the hearts of himself and his family. Things were tough to begin with, they all had to make adjustments and fit into each other's lives but once they had got over all of that they became close. Very close!

Aiden wondered if Beth's relationship with Sideswipe was like that and then it occurred to him that if these guys were having friendships and relationships with the humans then that would make them sentient. The penny finally dropped!

"It would be nice to meet your family one day,"

William smiled at him, "That could very well happen; Sarah and Annabelle visit me here fairly regularly so I expect you'll get to see them one day."

A frown crossed Aiden's face when he thought about his upbringing and how he and Beth missed out on the life that he was sharing with his wife and children. He could understand why Beth enjoyed working with NEST so much, these guys were tight and they offered her the family that she never had.

William looked at his watch quickly, "I have to go," he said, "I have to get back on duty,"

Aiden followed William out of the rec room and down the corridor to the Autobot command area, "Is it possible to get to know the Autobots despite everything I have done?" he asked.

William watched as Strobe strode gracefully through the base and turned back to Aiden, "Yeah...," he replied, "...It is." They walked on in silence for a bit until they got to the door that leads into the Autobot command area, "Have you thought about a place which you all enjoyed as a family?"

"Yeah, I have as a matter of fact but it's a bit far from here,"

"That's okay," William replied, "These guys travel,"

"Hm...in that case, there is an area of parkland not far from where we used to live, the girls...," Aiden stopped when he saw William shaking his head in disapproval, "...No good?" he asked,

"No," William replied, "It's too close to your home; we don't know who Simon knows on the outside,"

"Ah...well in that case there is a family restaurant where we can eat and spend time with each other as a family."

William listened while Aiden named the place and gave its location. He smiled when he realised it was one of his family's favourite places, "Good idea," William replied and then an idea came to his mind. He hadn't taken his family there for ages and they hadn't been out since they lost Ironhide. It would be good to take them there but not with Aiden's family.

Optimus Prime saw William standing in the doorway and walked toward it, William opened the door to walk through,

"Colonel William Lennox have you discussed a place where Aiden can meet his family?"

"Yes we have, Optimus Prime," William replied,

Optimus Prime averted his gaze to Aiden Amersham. The young man felt intimidated under the huge Autobot leader's gaze,

"Aiden Amersham...," Aiden looked up into the face of the Autobot leader who was looking at him seriously. Strobe heard Optimus speaking to Aiden and watched the interaction closely, "We have granted this meeting with your family now we would like something from you."

"I will help you," Aiden replied seriously.

Optimus looked at him briefly for a moment before nodding in appreciation, "Thank you Aiden Amersham,"

Sunstreaker scowled, "How do we know we can trust him?" he yelled, "Look what he did to Strobe,"

Strobe turned back to him, "Sunstreaker back down," she bellowed.

Sunstreaker turned to her, "No, I won't back down, he hurt you, the squishy should die for that,"

Optimus Prime vented angrily and turned to the yellow frontline warrior, "Sunstreaker stand down!" he bellowed at the top of his voice,

"But he did terri...," Sunstreaker went to argue,

"Sunstreaker," Strobe snapped as she stepped toward him and placed a hand on his shoulder, "He is paying for what he has done already," she replied, "It is time to let this go and forgive Aiden,"

Sunstreaker looked toward Aiden defiantly. How could she forgive him? What he did was unforgiveable and he needed to be punished.

By now other Autobots had joined them and gathered around Strobe and Sunstreaker, among them was Sideswipe. He stepped forward, "Sunstreaker?" he said quietly, "Strobe is right."

Reluctantly the yellow frontline warrior backed down, "Okay," he replied quietly, "If it is what you want Strobe then I will respect your wishes,"

"Thank you, Sunstreaker," she replied quietly.

There was a sigh of relief among the Autobots but Sunstreaker's outburst proved how hard it was going to be to show them that Aiden was trustworthy. The young man realised he hadn't got off to a good start and he hoped that it could be rectified, but he wasn't so sure. His affiliation with Simon had done him a lot of damage and it had been suggested that he would actually be on trial along with Simon for the part he played in the research.

Aiden left the Autobot command centre with Sunstreaker's words still going through his head In a nutshell the yellow twin was right he should be punished and it was unforgiveable but Strobe had shown him grace by forgiving him. He put his hands in his pockets and walked back to his quarters with his head down. Strobe noticed his silent exit and shook her head, he had been so foolish.

* * *

><p>Michelle busied herself around the house getting herself and their daughter ready for the meeting. She looked at the clock it was only eight am which meant she still had about three hours to get ready before she was picked up and taken to the restaurant where she would meet Aiden. Michelle wished he could just be brought here but "they," whoever they were, had suggested going out, it would be safer and easier.<p>

Michelle sat at the table and looked at her three and a half year old who was sitting at the table with a soggy piece of toast and jam. She was still in her pyjamas and slippers and her brown curly hair hang in ringlets. Aiden's wife picked up a mug of coffee and took a sip when she heard a loud roar of engines fly low over her house, "_What is that?"_ Michelle thought and pulled the drapes back to have a look. She saw two fighter jets flying low side by side. They both banked around and headed toward the city where the rush hour was well and truly established.

* * *

><p>There was mass chaos on the streets as the two jets flew low through the buildings laughing while the humans got out of their cars or stand on the spot to watch the two jets with curiosity and fear. They sped through the buildings laughing as the humans screamed and scattered into shops or hid between cars.<p>

The Autobots were just organising themselves when the alarms started sounding very loudly,

"What the...," Sideswipe said as he jumped and raced out of the rec room followed by Strobe, Sunstreaker and everybody else. The doors opened and cars poured out into the streets of Washington.

Aiden was in the rec room when suddenly the whole room sprung into action and men were running everywhere,

"Stay here!" William screamed at him, "We'll be back!"

They drove through the streets toward the sound of the frightened screams. Strobe was the first to arrive,

"Thundercracker and Skywarp," Strobe growled as her battle computer hummed and she sped down the streets after them, closely followed by Optimus Prime,

"Hey look at the little insects," Skywarp laughed at his brother, "They just scuttle about like rodents and then hide in their hidey holes."

"Yeah, it's fun," Thundercracker agreed.

A missile rocketed towards them, "Oops, time to warp,"

Skywarp disappeared and reappeared somewhere else laughing at his brother who was frantically trying to avoid the onslaught of missiles from the Autobots.

"We're outnumbered," Thundercracker bellowed, "Let's get outta here,"

The Autobots watched as the two seekers fled the onslaught of Autobot fire and made their way out of earth's atmosphere,

"And stay away," Strobe bellowed as she let one more round go.

She looked down the cleared streets at the abandoned cars and then toward Optimus Prime,

"What was that all about?" she asked,

"I don't know," Prime replied, "But we need to think about how we can improve security around earth. If these two are anything to go by the next attack could be from space."

"But why?" Strobe asked,

"Revenge!" Prime replied.

Strobe and the other Autobots around her parked and stayed in their vehicle forms while the frightened humans slowly reappeared gingerly from their hiding places. Sirens screamed as the emergency services came to a screeching halt and paramedics and police officers went into their emergency routines. Among them was Charlotte Mearing. She looked around at the buildings and people being attended to by paramedics and heaved a sigh of relief to see there was no damage and only minor injuries were being treated.

In the meantime Aiden finished getting ready and sat in Beth's quarters with a coffee for himself and one for his sister,

"What was all that noise?" she asked,

Aiden shrugged his shoulders, "I don't know, some kind of emergency,"

A puzzled look crossed Beth's face, "That's odd," but then shrugged her shoulders and smiled at Aiden, "Are you looking forward to seeing your family?"

A loving smile graced his young features, "Yes I am. I just wish you could come with me."

Beth shook her head, "No, it's important you see them alone I would disturb the dynamics of the meeting."

"Yeah, you're right there." Aiden agreed, "We'll do it next time,"

Beth smiled and looked down, and then she raised her mug, "To next time," she chimed happily,

"Here here," Aiden replied in a mock posh voice after which they both broke into fits of giggles.

Aiden's smile disappeared, "You know Beth I don't deserve you. You are one awesome sister,"

"Aiden," she replied embarrassed by the compliment, "I wouldn't go that far"

"Why not?" he asked.

There was a roar of engines from the returning Autobots and Aiden could hear Prowl calling him,

"Aiden, you ready?"

"That's my cue," Aiden said as he got up from Beth's bed, "I'll tell you all about it later," he kissed her on the cheek, "Catch you later, Beth," and left with Strobe, Prowl and Optimus Prime while Hound went to collect Michelle,"

"I need a shower anyway," she replied,

"You take things easy," Aiden shot back quickly,

"Aiden I'm only taking a shower," she said, "And then running around the outskirts of the city," Aiden shot her a filthy look and smiled at the cheeky grin Beth was giving him.

William was just about to knock on Beth's door when Aiden walked out, "Are you ready?"

The drive to the place where Aiden was meeting Michelle and Megan seemed to take forever. Aiden sat in the front of Prowl and watched as the scenery sped past the window. He sighed and took his wallet out of his back pocket; it opened to reveal the picture of Michelle holding three year old Megan and their three month old. They had made it out onto the highway, he watched the other cars as they sped past focusing on the passengers of one every now and then to see if Michelle was in the vehicle.

Strobe had noticed a vehicle behind her who they had picked up two miles down the road. It was following them persistently and anxious to get in between her and Prowl, but she kept closing the gap between them pushing the vehicle out of the way. The driver got abusive and started to give her hand gestures and mouth obscenities at the holoform in the vehicle. Strobe lowered her head and looked at the road while letting Optimus Prime and Prowl know what was happening,

"Lose him," Prowl said.

They were coming up to a junction which lead off the highway, Strobe hang back so she was abreast of the vehicle and pushed him off the highway so he had no choice but to keep going in the lane he'd ended up in and then she fell back in behind Prowl,

"He's gone," she said,

"Keep your scanners on Strobe," Prime replied, "There are junctions that lead onto the highway as well."

"Yes sir," she replied but there was no sign of the vehicle for the rest of the journey.

As they pulled into the car park Strobe noticed the vehicle from before was back on her scanners,

"Prowl, the other vehicle is back," she said.

Prowl growled, "Let's see what police presence does," he said.

Prowl's holoform turned to Aiden, "I need you to get out and et into Strobe,"

"Is everything alright?" Aiden asked,

"Just do what I say,"

Aiden noticed William and another man he hadn't seen before and assumed he was Prime's holoform walk into the restaurant. Prowl drove off with lights flashing and siren whining up behind the car. The driver in the car started his engine and drove off with Prowl in tow. There was a tense silence while the Autobots waited to hear the all clear from Prowl.

Optimus Prime saw Hound drive into the car park in his black four drive vehicle form carrying Michelle and Megan,

"**Hound, keep Michelle and Megan with you,"**

"**Will do, Prime," **Hound replied and turned around to face Michelle,

"We can't let you go yet," he said,

"Is everything alright?" Michelle asked,

"Just a precaution Ma'am," the driver replied,

"Okay," she said and looked around the car park nervously.

"Mummy, that man's eyes are blue," Megan said. Michelle looked down at her daughter; that was a strange observation for her to make, "Like Cara's eyes," she picked up her new doll she was carrying, "Look mummy,"

"Alright darling, that's enough," Michelle said, "Blue eyes are quite normal," Michelle said to her daughter but she had to admit there weren't many people with eyes as blue as his.

Optimus Prime's comm. Link pinged, "**All clear Optimus Prime," **Prowl called over the link,

"**Thank you Prowl. Strobe, Hound release your passengers."**

Strobe's door opened automatically while Hound got out of the car and opened the door for Megan and Michelle. Hound lifted Megan onto the ground and helped Michelle while she held onto the nine month old. Megan saw Aiden come around the back of Strobe,

"Daddy," she called,

"Megan," Aiden called and held out his arms.

"Daddy," she purred into his shoulder, "I missed you." she wrapped her arms around Aiden's shoulders.

Strobe watched the human femme as she walked up to her husband and wrapped her one arm around his neck and buried her head in his shoulders,

"Aiden," she cried, "I'm so sorry I didn't understand,"

"It's okay baby," he soothed.

They walked into the restaurant while the Autobots sat outside with their sensors on.

* * *

><p>Will Sideswipe let Beth know of his true feelings?<p> 


	15. Chapter 15

Disclaimer; oc's and plot are mine as for everything else, don't own it!

There is one more chapter after this one and then the conclusion. Hope you enjoy this chapter.

* * *

><p>Chapter 14<p>

Simon walked through the prison, his ankle chains clanking loudly and into the interview room where the lawyer was already sitting with his hands clasped together in a loose fist on the desk,

"Sit down please, Simon," the lawyer said.

Simon sat in on the metal chair in front of the lawyer slowly, he noticed that young man's demeanour was not as friendly as before and thought he could probably be angry. At what Simon didn't know, maybe he'd had an argument with his wife. The lawyer flipped through the pages of his file to the page he was looking for and occasionally looked over his silver rimmed glasses at Simon,

"Every visit I have made to you I have asked if there is anything else I need to know about but you have said there isn't. I now find out that two Autobots have gone to find a canister of energon belonging to the witness, and a young man who was your partner has offered information regarding this canister. What can you tell me about it?" Simon looked at the lawyer, his expression darkened, "_Aiden Amersham,"_ he snarled to himself, "_Your days are numbered,"_ "Well?" the lawyer snapped.

Simon sighed and leaned forward. The lawyer noticed how he was looking tired and wary, "We took a canister of energon from the _female,_" he spat, "For investigative purposes. It was our intention to see what its properties were and if it could be used for human purposes,"

"And what were your results?" the lawyer asked,

"We stopped the investigation; the fumes were too strong and killed those who were having direct contact with it,"

"Where is it now?" the lawyer asked,

"It's in a vault, locked away for safe keeping," the lawyer scribbled something on the page

"Hm...," the lawyer grunted still not satisfied with the responses he was getting, "When you say human purposes what were you thinking of,"

Simon shrugged, "I don't know, medicinal, mechanical, pesticides...we didn't know what the properties were so the possibilities were endless." He replied.

"What can you tell me about Aiden Amersham?" the lawyer asked,

"He's a dead man walking," Simon replied,

"Simon, I'm serious, tell me about Aiden Amersham. He your only friend right now." the lawyer insisted.

Suddenly hope surged through Simon, at this twilight stage of the investigation the lawyer had found somebody who could vouch for him. "_This man is good!"_ Simon thought.

"Aiden Amersham was my 2IC; he was the IT expert and very good at it until it came to fathoming out the female's language. He couldn't do it; his excuse always was her technology is more advanced than ours. Do you know where he is?"

"No," the lawyer replied, "We are searching for him, he seems to have disappeared and so has his family."

Simon sighed, "Why doesn't that surprise me?," he muttered, "He has a sister," Simon offered,

Again the lawyer scribbled something on the sheet of paper, "Where is she?" Simon shrugged again,

"She's in the forces,"

"Hm," the lawyer grunted again, "She should be easy to find then." he looked at Simon over his silver rimmed glasses again, "Tell me about the vault where the canister of energon is hidden," the lawyer said,

"It's in the installation, there is a vault beyond my office and where the canister was hidden and in a safe behind a picture in my office is the results from the test before the research was canned."

The lawyer smiled finally there could be a breakthrough for this surly man, "I will get back to you," he said, "Don't try _anything_ that would jeopardise your case," he warned.

He got up and left Simon sitting in the room smirking victoriously. He turned to the guard who had let him out, "Make sure he makes no phone calls to anybody," he said. The guard nodded.

The lawyer made his way to his car while speaking on his mobile phone, "Hi yeah, could you find out as much as you can about the whereabouts of an Aiden Amersham and his sister," he asked the voice on the other end.

* * *

><p>Aiden stood on the catwalk opposite Optimus Prime and Prowl and in between Colonel Lennox and Robert Epps,<p>

"First of all I really did believe the canister was in the vault because I was there when Simon put it in there. We had agreed that nobody was to remove this canister unless they had direct permission from myself or Simon. After that point I heard nothing more about it until there were rumours going around that the energon was dangerous for humans and should be destroyed. I asked Simon about this but he told me not to believe everything I hear."

"Do you know why it wasn't in the vault when you all went to the installation?" Prowl asked,

"Yes," Aiden replied, "Soon after that there was the battle in Chicago and Strobe escaped. I was deliberately kept out of the loop when I refused to become part of the hunt."

"Why did you refuse to become part of the hunt?" William asked.

Aiden stood still and thought quietly for a moment, "I heard the demand from a Sentinel Prime..." Aiden noticed the change in Optimus Prime's expression and stopped, "...Did I say something wrong?" he asked,

"No," Prime replied sadly, "Carry on,"

"And then I heard about the battle in Chicago and got scared, I thought that Strobe may have had something to do with Chicago and asked Simon on numerous occasions to stop doing what we were doing in case they came looking for us,"

"Did he agree?" Prime asked,

"No," Aiden replied quietly, "He called me a coward and told me to stop bellyaching so I deliberately pulled away from it all for the safety of myself and my family. I thought they...you...would come looking for her" he looked down. Optimus Prime felt sorry for the man, he knew nothing of their decree to not hurt humans, "I didn't know I was already in too deep," William placed his hand on Aiden's shoulder, "Anyway during her escape she picked me up and glared at me while I was uhmm...," he rubbed the back of his neck with embarrassment as he thought about his next confession, "I was begging her for mercy,"

Optimus Prime smiled with pride, it would have been so easy for the femme to kill Aiden after what happened to her but she didn't. That showed great discipline and strength and he made a mental note to congratulate her,

"So where is the canister now?" Optimus Prime asked, "There is another vault, underneath the installation, my friend told me about it before he was killed by Simon's cronies. He had placed it in there because the scientists that were doing their investigations were killed by the energon almost immediately and he felt it was better if it was hidden from Simon in case he tried to get other scientists to experiment on it,"

Prowl looked at Optimus Prime, "Where are Bumblebee and Mirage?" he asked,

"They are on their way back because they had reached a dead end."

Optimus Prime turned back to Aiden, "I would like you to go back to the installation with Bumblebee and Mirage and take them to the underground vault. I'm going to send Sunstreaker, Sideswipe and the wreckers with you in case of any trouble." He lent forward so that his face was inches from Aiden's, "I'm trusting you," he said, "Don't let myself or Beth down,"

Aiden gulped, "N-no sir," he replied.

* * *

><p>Outside the installation NEST guards were waiting for their shift to come to an end,<p>

"I don't like the sound of that car, it isn't army and it's coming up too fast," one of them said,

Another one placed his radio to his mouth and called for urgent back up while the others run to their position to defend the base. Two dark SUV's parked in the car park while two of the soldiers walked up to them,

Four suited men jumped out of the first car and stood around the soldiers,

"Why are you here?" the soldiers asked,

"We've been asked to locate the canister of energon," one man replied,

"Well our orders are to not let you in," a soldier retorted,

"Is that right?" the man replied, "We're here on direct orders to search the premises,"

"Whose orders?" the soldier asked,

"That is none of your business," the men walked past the soldier, one of them deliberately bumped into him and knocked him to the ground. The soldier got up and armed himself,

"I am ordering you not to go in, it is...,"

Bang!

A blinding pain shot through the soldier as he slowly descended to the ground. His colleague called the base for a medic and then got down beside him,

"Hang in there, buddy," he said as he tore his shirt and placed a dressing from his emergency first aid kit over the wound.

Jenna was on communications that morning and she received the message,

"Colonel Lennox there has been a call for back up at the installation," she said, "Men in suits have entered the installation to search the premises,"

"Alright, we're coming," William replied.

The Autobots transformed down and left the base quickly, Prowl opened his door to let Aiden in. On their way Optimus called Mirage,

"**Meet us at the installation, we believe we have found the canister but be careful, others are there who also want it,"**

"**We're on our way, Optimus. Bumblebee we're going back to the installation,"**

The two mechs turned off the highway and sped off towards the installation.

There was a roar of engines as Autobots and humans alike drove into the car park. William told Aiden to stay where he was for his own safety and the Colonel, Optimus Prime in his holoform and others slowly moved into the base to secure it before Aiden was allowed to enter. William could hear noises and shuffles as men turned out drawers and pulled apart cupboards but they found nothing.

One of them went into the safe to fetch the documents Simon said was there but they were already gone,

"There's nothing here," he said.

"We've been on a wild goose chase," another one replied.

Others poured out from the labs and went into Simon's office, the leader, a man who was in his late forties and a blonde receding hair line turned to the new arrivals, "Anything?" he asked,

"Nothing, it seems we've been sent in the wrong direction,"

William and Optimus Prime slowly moved through the corridors and stood on either side of the doorway listening to the conversation while soldiers were hidden away,

"We still have to find Aiden Amersham," another one replied,

"He won't be hard to find, we've already found out where his sister is, she will tell us where to find him,"

"She's a soldier, what if she doesn't,"

The leader hit his fist in his other hand, "Let's just say a little gentle persuasion will do the trick,"

"You could get into serious trouble for that,"

Prime looked at William who was scowling at the threat to a member of his team. The Autobot leader wanted to go in there right now and put him in his place but William was still interested in what they'd have to say,

"What about a sepina?" another man asked,

"That is why we're looking for him!...idiot!" the leader replied through gritted teeth,

"Well it's quite clear the canister of energon isn't here, we'll have to report back to the lawyer and let him know,"

One of the men who were outside saw the extra vehicles in the car park, one of them a Peterbilt truck with flame decal took his attention, it was a beauty. Prowl watched the man closely as he walked around the truck admiring it and then he noticed the other vehicles; a red Ferrari, yellow Camaro and a police cruiser. He took out his mobile phone,

"_Yeah?" _the leader said,

"We have company, sir," he said,

"_Okay, keep an eye on them; we're on our way out,"_

The leader placed his phone back in the pocket of his expensive suit and turned to the others standing around him,

"There's nothing here, we'd better go gentlemen,"

Optimus Prime and William disappeared and watched them leave empty handed still talking about the possible whereabouts of Aiden. The leader's phone rang again, this time Prime tuned into the connection,

"_We haven't found Aiden Amersham he seems to have gone underground and so has his family but we have found out about Beth Amersham, she is based in Washington,"_

"Well done, that is very helpful," the leader turned to his associates, "We're going to Washington,"

Optimus Prime immediately contacted Sideswipe,

"**Sideswipe here, go ahead Prime,"**

"**Where is Beth?"**

Sideswipe was puzzled with the urgency in his leader's voice, "**I haven't seen her all morning, I think she is still in her room. Is there a problem?"**

"**Yes there is. Keep an eye on her she could be in trouble, don't let her off the base or out of your sight,"**

"**Yes sir,"** Sideswipe replied.

Prowl and Aiden watched the men as they walked through the car park, one of them looked in Prowl's direction, the young man quickly ducked below the window level of the vehicle and waited until Prowl gave the all clear. He heard the two vehicles drive off,

"You're safe now," Prowl said and stepped out of the car.

Aiden walked into the building, "It's this way," he said.

He led the men and Autobots through a door and down a staircase which took them to below ground level. It was damp, cold and dark apart from red wall lights and William's torch. Their footsteps echoed on the concrete walls around them and cobwebs floated in the disturbance of the air. At the end of the corridor was a heavy door with a keypad lit up in green. Aiden punched in the code, the door moved a bit with the release of the bolt. It squeaked loudly as Aiden pushed it open and there on the shelf glowing a bright pink was the canister of energon.

Aiden went to grab the energon but Prime held him back, "I'll take it," he said, "It will permanently damage you if you touch it with your bare hands."

Prime reached up and took the energon and they all walked out of the installation together. The bright winter sunlight blinded the humans for a minute but Prime saw Bumblebee and Mirage standing at the entrance to the car park in their bi pedal mode with weapons charged. Prowl saw Aiden and drove to the steps of the car park,

"Quickly," he said to Aiden, "Get in,"

Mirage and Bumblebee transformed down and escorted Prowl with Aiden along the dirt path onto the highway. The soldier who had been shot was already gone. They needed the man who shot him arrested but that was a police matter.

* * *

><p>Beth got out of bed and looked at herself in the mirror, "Ughh!" she said.<p>

Her normally healthy bouncy curls were flattened and covered in a layer of grease. Her nose was red and cracked from continually blowing it, her eyes were still glazed and her complexion had an unhealthy pallor. Apart from that the temperatures had gone, and so had the aches and pains but she felt weak and exhausted.

The young woman started to make preparations for a shower but she was interrupted by a gentle knock on her door. Beth slipped on a dressing gown and went to the door. It opened to reveal Sideswipe, she gasped and closed it again quickly, Beth turned around and leaned against the door, she could feel her cheeks going a brighter shade of red as she looked up at the ceiling and groaned, "_That was so embarrassing."_

"Beth, I need to talk to you darling," Sideswipe called through the door,

"No sideswipe, let me get decent first," she replied quickly,

"It's really important Beth, I've been asked by Prime...,"

Beth sighed in frustration, "Surely a Cybertonian femme needs the same level of privacy," she muttered as she pinched the bridge of her nose, "Sideswipe, it can wait!" she snapped,

"No, Beth! It can't!" he stated impatiently, "_Femmes! They're the same no matter what their species,"_

Jenna had been relieved for a break and she was walking through the human quarters, "What's the matter Sideswipe?" she asked,

"I need to speak to Beth. It's important,"

Jenna was a bit puzzled with the urgency but knocked on Beth's door, "Beth can I come in," Beth hid behind the door as it opened to let Jenna in. She saw Beth standing in the shadows in her pyjamas and dressing gown, "You look awful," she said,

"I know, I need a shower but Sideswipe is insisting on talking to me. He says it's urgent. Besides which," she ran her hands down her body, "I'm in my pyjamas and he's...a guy,"

Jenna laughed, "Hardly Beth, that's his holoform and he's a Cybertronian...,

"Who apparently cares for me. I can't let him see me like this." she squeaked,

Jenna laughed again, Beth looked at her with dismay, "I don't see what's funny about this,"

"Don't ever change, I love your modesty. I'll speak to him, Beth, you have a shower, you'll feel better for it,"

"Thanks," Beth replied.

Jenna walked out of Beth's quarters, "Sideswipe, she is just making herself look decent and then she'll speak to you,"

"She was already decent," Sideswipe replied,

Jenna smiled and placed her hand on his arm, "Sideswipe, Beth is a very modest woman and in her eyes she wasn't decent. Just give her a few minutes."

Sideswipe stood there for a minute looking at Jenna, "Okay," he replied reluctantly,

"She'll appreciate it, trust me."

Sideswipe stood against the opposite wall corridor with his arms folded and his sleeves rolled halfway up his forearms. Sunstreaker saw him standing there through the glass door and appeared next to his brother,

"What are you waiting for?" he asked,

Sideswipe looked over Sunstreaker's holoform and nodded in approval,

"Beth, Optimus Prime has asked me to keep an eye on her. She's in some sort of trouble,"

Steam poured out of the bathroom with Beth who was now clothed in a pair of blue track pants, a long sleeved white t shirt and a plain black fleecy hoodie. Her hair had sprung back into its tight curls and still dripping water onto her shoulders. Beth shivered a little bit from the cool air in her room, she rubbed her hair a bit harder and wrapped it in the towel while she put on her running shoes and some perfume.

Finally she unravelled her hair and fluffed up her curls before looking in the mirror and nodding with approval. Beth opened the door and found Sideswipe standing there patiently next to another holoform who was glowering at her. Beth eyed him suspiciously and scowled at him when she realised who it was,

She turned to the other holoform looking her over, "Okay, Sideswipe I can speak to you now," she said,

"Why couldn't you speak to him before?" Sunstreaker asked,

"That's none of your business," Beth retorted, "Sideswipe what was so urgent?"

"Beth Optimus Prime has asked me to keep an eye on you?"

Beth scowled again, "Why?" she asked,

"You could be in some sort of trouble; he's really concerned for you, Beth. I can't let you out of my sight or off the base,"

Beth swallowed a lump which had just formed in her throat, this sounded serious; she looked up at Sideswipe, "What sort of trouble?"

"I don't know, Prime didn't say but you must stay with me,"

"Sideswipe," Beth whined.

"I'm sorry, darling,"

Beth looked at Sunstreaker whose expression had softened and then back at Sideswipe, "Then I guess that's what I'll have to do,"

"Thank you, Beth," Sideswipe replied, "You look like you could use some food; let's get you to the mess room,"

"Thank you, Sideswipe. A mug of coffee and something to eat would be nice,"

Sunstreaker walked on the other side of his brother so he didn't have to have any contact with Beth. They walked out of the human residential area and into the main Autobot command area. The two mechs disappeared and their bi pedal modes came to life, Sideswipe offered his hand but Beth said she'd walk along the catwalk until she got to the stairs. They waited for her to make her way around the catwalk and step into his hand before he started walking. She didn't like being carted around everywhere but Sideswipe also didn't like the thought of her being squashed under foot either.

He allowed her to get a coffee and a cinnamon bagel and sat her on a huge table. All the time Sunstreaker said nothing to her or about her, he just watched her through narrowed optics. The young woman didn't mind him being there but kept a good distance from him, he hadn't exactly endeared himself to her. And he still wasn't.

Jenna just hung up from a call when she received another one; it was an external call which immediately aroused her suspicions. She picked up the receiver,

"Hello," she replied,

"Does a Private Beth Amersham work here?"

"Just a minute, she said and called the Officer on duty, "Somebody has just rung up asking if a Beth Amersham works here,"

Jenna pushed the record button while the officer put on headphones and listened to the conversation, "How did you get this number, sir? It's a secure line," Jenna asked,

"It doesn't matter, I need to know if Beth Amersham works there?" the voice replied,

"Sir, I want you to hang up, there is no Beth Amersham who works here,"

"Well now that's where I believe you're wrong, Beth Amersham works there. We need her to answer some questions regarding the whereabouts of her brother and we would like to arrange a time,"

Jenna scowled, this person was persistent, "Who are you and why haven't you gone through the correct channels?"

Jenna heaved a sigh of relief when she saw Optimus Prime arrive with the group who went to the installation. William saw Jenna getting flustered by the caller and walked up to the officer,

"Is everything okay?" he asked,

"Somebody is calling asking if Beth works here," the officer replied.

"Where is Beth now?" William asked,

"I don't know," he replied,

"Sir, I need you to hang up and go through the correct channels."

William placed his hand on Jenna's "May I?" he asked,

Jenna handed William the phone relieved that she didn't have to deal with him anymore, "Sir, this is Lieutenant Colonel Lennox, you should not be on this line and I request that you hang up now and do exactly what you were instructed to do, or we will take further action."

"I just need to speak to..."

"Sir, I have to warn you that there are ways we can trace this call, please hang up,"

The voice on the other growled and the line instantly went dead. William turned to Jenna, "Where is Beth now?" he asked,

"I think she's with Sideswipe,"

"Okay, report this call and send it to Charlotte Mearing's office. I'm going to go and speak to Beth."

Optimus Prime looked at the canister of energon in his hand; the best place for this was locked away in a safe place. Strobe saw the mech standing there with the canister of energon, her face fell as painful memories flooded her processor.

Moonracer saw what happened, "Strobe," she called and went after her.

She caught up with the jade green femme who was sitting alone among some crates in the shadows at the base entrance "Are you okay?" she asked as she sat next to the femme. Strobe's knees were drawn up with her arms wrapped around them and her shoulders hunched, "I'm sorry, Strobe. This must be so terrible for you," Moonracer said as she placed an arm around Strobe's shoulders.

The femmes sat there in a silent solidarity, it could get lonely being the only two femmes on the base amongst all these mechs but that was the way it was and there was nothing they could do to change it.

Not now!

Not ever!

Moonracer looked out of the door at the clear sky, it had been raining but now the late afternoon winter sun shone in a puddle by the door. It was cold by the door but it didn't affect the Autobots as much as it affected the humans. Moonracer saw the golden reflection of the sun in the puddle which brought a distant memory to her processor when she was a child.

She used to live a little bit outside Iacon and she loved to look outside and see its lights glowing against the night sky. Her creator would call her and ask if she was ready for bed yet and she would leave the view to go and say goodnight to her family. Her femme creator would often tuck her in at night and tell her stories from long ago, stories she hoped she would one day be able to tell her own offspring.

Her smile disappeared from her face when she remembered the last time she looked out of her window and Iacon was ablaze. Her mother rushed into her room, Moonracer turned around,

"Mummy, what's happening?" she asked

"We have to leave," she replied urgently while she grabbed her daughter, "Optimus Prime has ordered that we get ourselves to the Autobot safe zone for our own protection.

Her mother turned to leave Moonracer's room but as she did, she could hear a whine of hydraulics, a whistling and everything was engulfed in flames. Moonracer screamed and hid under her berth just as her house came crashing down around her and everything went black, after that her memories were fragmented as she came in and out of consciousness,

"How did this little one survive?" a deep voice asked as two black hands pulled her out from her metal grave. Moonracer gave out a small cry, "It's alright little one, you're in safe hands now," the black one who she later found out was Ironhide soothed,

"Get her to the med bay," Prowl replied," She's burnt, I'll radio ahead to Ratchet that you're bringing in injured.

"Mummy," she cried.

They both looked back at the lifeless body caught under the twisted charred wreckage, "She's gone," Ironhide said, "Best thing we can do is get this one to safety." After that she remembered very little except coming around in the med bay and being taken to refuge for rescued orphans. It was then that she decided as soon as she was old enough she'd join the war.

* * *

><p>Beth still couldn't quite understand the urgency of Sideswipe needing her to be with him more. She didn't believe she was under that much threat so she was even more surprised when her guardian said she needed to go and see Optimus Prime and William. She looked at Sideswipe,<p>

"Why?" she asked,

"Somethinghas come up that has caused Optimus Prime to be concerned about your safety, Beth."

"What has happened?" she asked,

"I don't know," he replied as he offered her his hand.

Beth sat in it and went with him to the catwalk where Optimus Prime was waiting for her with Bumblebee, Mirage, William and Aiden. Sideswipe set her down, the young woman stood next to Aiden,

"What's going on?" she asked her brother,

"We've been threatened,"

Beth scowled, "By who?" she asked seriously.

Optimus Prime looked at her and noted how she still looked pale from her flu,

"How are you, Beth?" he asked,

Beth looked up at the Autobot leader, "I'm feeling a lot better Optimus Prime but I'm a little puzzled by what's happening,"

"Allow me to explain," he said, "We went to the installation today to retrieve the canister of energon with Aiden," Beth looked at him, "While we were there we overheard a conversation between two human men who we believe may be looking for you," Beth looked up at Prime surprised and then Aiden,

"Why do they want me?" she asked,

William stepped forward, "Because they can't find Aiden or his family so they're after you to tell them, we think he is required to be a witness to defend Simon." William suddenly became very serious, "Beth we don't know who these men are but they appear to be dangerous and they will not think twice about getting the information from you using whatever means possible."

She rubbed her curls, "Wow," she said, "This is quite heavy." She turned to Aiden and then back to William when he started speaking again,

"We have already received a phone call asking if you work here and they know you're in Washington,"

Beth's face turned a paler shade of the pallor it already was, "Who are these guys?" she asked,

"That's what we're trying to find out, we're quite sure they are involved in the investigation related to Strobe."

Beth rubbed her face with her hands, "Is this ever going to end?" she asked.

"Probably when the case is over but Simon is a wild card and we don't know what he's capable of even from jail, Beth," Optimus replied, "It is for this reason I have asked Sideswipe to step up his guardianship of you. You are to stay with him at all times until we believe you are safe."

Beth looked at Sideswipe and swallowed a lump formed in her throat and then she looked at Aiden and scowled, "What about while I'm here?" she asked,

"Even while you're here, Beth," Sideswipe replied.

She looked at the mechs and humans standing around her, she lowered her head and held onto the bars, and then she looked up again, "I joined the army because they offered me family but instead I become a burden," she said sadly.

Aiden looked down at his feet and put his hands in his jeans pocket, this was his fault, he had brought all this upon Beth through his foolish decisions,

Optimus vented gently and looked at Beth sympathetically, "Beth, do not consider yourself a burden to us," Optimus replied, "You are anything but a burden,"

Beth looked at William and then Optimus Prime, "Thank you," she said.

She wrapped her arms around herself still not entirely sure that she was alright. Aiden went to put his hands around her shoulders but she pushed him away,

"Everything was fine until you came on the scene," she snarled, "Now I find myself dragged into some sort of trouble because you...," she jabbed her finger in the air at her brother, "Got involved with Simon Wilson and his project. Strobe should have just finished you off." she snapped,

"Ouch!" Sideswipe said.

"Oh come on Beth, you don't mean that," he replied, "We have to stand together,"

"Why?" Beth replied, "Why should we stand together,"

"Because we're in this together," Aiden replied

Beth turned to him her warm chocolate brown eyes hard and angry, "No, Aiden...we are not in this together. I am in this because you...you chose to work for some top secret Autobot torture agent and dragged me into this..."

"That's enough," Optimus Prime bellowed making everybody jump. He glared at the both of them in turn, "Aiden, Beth is right, you got her involved in this so she has every right to be angry with you." Optimus Prime looked at Beth, "Aiden came to you for help which you have already offered him, but you still need to stand beside him and help him." Beth went to argue with him but Optimus put his hand up, "I would expect it from my Autobots and I expect it from you,"

"Yes, Optimus Prime," Beth replied meekly,

"Good now I need to go and find Strobe,"

"Optimus," Prime turned around to Beth, "Should my brother have a guardian too?"

"I don't need a guardian," Aiden argued, "I'll be fine,"

Prime looked at her thoughtfully, "Indeed he should," he looked at the Autobots around him, it was going to be hard for one of them to want to be a guardian of the man considering his involvement in the torture of Strobe, and who could blame them,

Bumblebee looked around at them, nobody was stepping forward, and why should they? "I'll do it," Bumblebee volunteered,

"Thank you, Bumblebee." Optimus replied.

Prime looked at Aiden, "You are going to be under Bumblebee's guardianship." Aiden looked at the massive yellow scout and swallowed a lump, "I'm going to leave you two to get acquainted," Optimus said as he turned around and left.

Aiden glared at Beth, "Thanks," he groused,

"She was only trying to help you," Sideswipe said, "Come Beth, what would you like to do?"

"I would like to do something to take my mind off everything, can we watch a movie?"

"Yeah, what would you like to watch?"

Beth shrugged her shoulders, "I don't know, something funny," Sideswipe smiled, he found human comedy quite amuzing, "I brought some back," Beth then remembered a movie she picked up when she was considering buying a dog, "Let's watch Marley and me,"

"Sounds good, what's it about?" Sideswipe said as he took his charge back to her quarters,

"About a family who brought a dog, it's supposed to be very funny,"

Beth's stomach growled, Sideswipe chuckled, "Can I assume you're hungry,"

"Yes," she replied, "But what I would really love to eat is sweet and sour sezchuan,"

"What's that?"

"A Chinese dish,"

"Oh, I guess we need to go out for that,"

"Could we?" Beth asked, "We just need to go to the Chinese takeaway," she said.

"Alright then," Sideswipe said but he was a little reluctant to take her out knowing there were people nearby who wanted to harm her.

* * *

><p>Beth sat in the passenger seat beside Sideswipe's holoform quietly looking out for any suspicious looking characters. She felt slightly safer knowing that Sunstreaker was behind them and there were now two of them who could fight on her behalf. Sideswipe squeezed her hand, "It's okay sweetspark...sweetheart," he corrected himself. Beth smiled at the mistake, it was kind of funny being called "sweetspark" even though she had a heart.<p>

The Corvettes pulled into the car park behind the restaurant and Sideswipe took Beth through an alleyway and inside. In the Chinese takeaway she stayed close to Sideswipe while she ordered her meal. The girl on the other side of the counter was small and friendly with a big smile and Beth hoped nothing would happen while she was in there. She disappeared behind louvered doors to give Beth's order to the chef, there were two chairs to the side of the restaurant so Beth sat in one with one leg crossed over the other and started to look around nervously while tapping her fingers on the arm rest. Sideswipe placed his hand over hers,

"Relax, Beth, you're in safe hands."

Sunstreaker picked up another signature on his sensors and watched as a black SUV drove into the car park and parked near Sideswipe, "**Uhmm, Sides, we've got company."** He watched four guys come get out of the car and head toward the restaurant, "**Sideswipe, you need to get Beth out of the restaurant now."** he said urgently.

Sideswipe took Beth's arm and pulled her out of the door, "Sideswipe, what's going on?" she asked, "I haven't got my meal yet,"

""You have to leave Beth," he said quietly. A Yellow Corvette stopped in front of the restaurant, Sideswipe placed his arms around her shoulders, "There is Sunstreaker, get in!" he demanded the young woman.

"No, I want to go with you," Beth protested loudly,

"There's no time," Sideswipe growled as he pushed Beth who was protesting vehemently into the yellow Corvette. Beth went to get out but a seat belt tightened itself around her and the door shut as the Corvette pulled away.

The Chinese woman saw the couple leave and raced after them with Beth's meal, "Your food," she said shaking it at Sideswipe desperately, "Don't forget your food."

Sideswipe took it from the Chinese woman, "I'll take it for her,"

Sideswipe run around the alleyway and disappeared into his vehicle form, the engine to the silver Corvette stingray started and Sideswipe sped off in pursuit of the SUV chasing his brother.

Sunstreaker cringed at the young woman sitting in his passenger seat. Beth resented every minute of being inside Sunstreaker, he was rude, arrogant and obnoxious. The atmosphere within the vehicle was tense but it got worse as a black SUV moved in front of Sunstreaker,

"Hold on Beth, I need to get away from these guys,"

Sunstreaker's engine roared as he pulled away from the SUV but the black vehicle was persistent and caught up with him, "He's back," Beth cried,

"Calm down female," Sunstreaker snarled, "I'm doing my best here but the traffic isn't exactly helping."

The black SUV pulled in front of Sunstreaker and stopped in a diagonal angle forcing Sunstreaker to stop instantly, he swore colorfully in Cybertronian while he reversed backwards and maneuvered around the black SUV. A police car's sirens could be heard screaming down the road and Sunstreaker was about to swear again but realized the police car was in actual fact Prowl,

"**Follow me!"** he bellowed at Sunstreaker.

Prowl continued to drive through the traffic making a clear path for Suntreaker to drive through. Beth looked around to see the four men standing around the SUV looking angry, she turned to Sunstreaker's holoform still frightened by what had just happened, he looked back at her,

"Are you alright?" he asked.

Beth nodded slowly and then heaved a sigh of relief when she saw Sideswipe pull up behind Sunstreaker. They finally drove through the barrier and past the guards, the doors closed firmly behind the two Corvettes and Prowl for security while Optimus patiently waited for them to transform. Beth turned to Sunstreaker's holoform and threw her arms around his neck,

"Thank you," she said.

At first Sunstreaker didn't know what to do and found the girl's sweaty body rather disgusting against his own but she was so relieved to be safely back in the NEST base it was the only way she knew how to thank him,

"Okay," he said as he pulled her fleshy arms from his neck and opened the door to allow her to get out.

Sideswipe turned to her with a frustrated look on his face, "Next time, Beth, you do exactly what I say." he snapped. Beth looked at him and nodded quietly, "We were trying to protect you you don't know how close you came to being taken,"

"Beth," the young soldier turned around to Aiden who was running up to her, "Beth are you okay?" he asked as he wrapped her in a hug, "I was worried about you." Beth wrapped her arms around him and allowed a tear to slip down her face, he heard her sniff and looked at her, "Hey, baby, it's okay," he crooned as he wiped the tear away. Beth brushed other tears from her face with the back of her hand,

"Look at me, I'm a soldier who starts crying after some action," she laughed,

"I need a report from you two," Optimus said

"Yes sir," they both replied,

The Autobot leader turned to Aiden who was stroking Beth's hair, "I'm glad you're back here safely, Beth," he said.

Beth looked at him, "Thank you," she replied through her sobs and tears.

* * *

><p>Beth cleared away her plate and went back to her quarters with Sideswipe. She found the DVD in a box of her possessions she kept under the bed and placed it in the DVD player in the rec room. Sideswipe turned down the lights and sat on the couch he picked up the remote control and switched on the wide screen tv hanging on the wall. Beth sat next to him and allowed him to draw her into his side, she placed her legs on the couch and sprawled out while purring contentedly. He sat there watching the movie with her while he gently twisted her curls around his finger.<p>

The events from earlier in the evening seemed like a million miles away as she looked up at the frontline warrior, he looked down at her and smiled as he run his fingers over her face and cupped her head in his hand. He pulled her closer into himself and leaned into her, their lips met in a gentle kiss. Beth started to panic and suddenly pulled back,

"No," she said, "This isn't right, it can't work,"

Sideswipe ignored her and kissed her again, "It can work," he said.

Beth looked at him again puzzled, "So...," she said to him, "Is this what an Autobot means when he says I care for you?"

Sideswipe laughed and playfully pulled her into his side again and they carried on watching the movie quietly until the end.

* * *

><p>That's the end of this chapter.<p>

Next one will see more of Optimus Prime and Strobe.


	16. Chapter 16

**Disclaimer; Transformers aren't mine but I have oc's in this chapter.**

Sorry for the long delay, there has been a lot going on and I have found it difficult to write but here is the second to last chapter to this story. Enjoy!

* * *

><p>Chapter 16<p>

Time to love again.

Strobe's spark was racing as she approached Optimus Prime's door, she went to knock on it but hesitated. The Autobot leader was inside trying to make everything perfect for his visitor, she had seen his quarters before but this time it was different. This time he wanted to make an impression. He picked up her signature and opened the door, her face instantly broke into a smile as she saw him silhouetted against the light in his quarters,

"Strobe," he said warmly, "Come in,"

Strobe stepped into his quarters and looked around, it was still the same except there was a warm glow in the room from candles and soft music was playing...human music. Not the sort of music you expect to hear at rock bands or night clubs, soft music...playing in the background. A smile tinged her face, there was a very feminine feel to this evening and she wondered if he had learnt this from Elita, she was quite the romantic when she wasn't on the battle field. She turned around to Optimus Prime and nodded,

"You're full of surprises, Optimus Prime," she said,

"Optimus," he replied., Please come and sit down,"

Strobe sat down silently next to Prime and looked around the room once more. Normally she felt quite comfortable with him but this time it was different, her spark raced at his closeness as he took his seat next to her. A comfortable silence fell between them while she took a sip of her energon before she turned to Optimus Prime. He couldn't help but notice how much she did resemble the weapons specialist and he could almost see the hulking black mech telling him to look after her or he'll be answering to the weapons specialist. Optimus chuckled. Strobe looked at him a little puzzled,

"I was thinking about Ironhide, I could imagine him telling me to look after you or I'll answer to him." A smile crossed Strobe's features as she looked down. A quick wave of grief flooded Prime's system, "It never occurred to me that it would be Sentinel Prime who would bring him down,"

Guilt flooded Strobe's system, she knew Sentinel Prime had betrayed them; she could have radioed the information to him or found another way to get to him. A look of guilt formed on her features as she thought about the ramifications of not getting back to Iacon. If she had of been more careful then maybe Ironhide would still be alive now.

Optimus Prime watched her for a moment as she continued to work through her thoughts and then she spoke quietly, "It's my fault, I could have radioed the information or gave it to you via private comm. Link or...,"

"Strobe...," Prime interjected, "There was no way you could have radioed the information through, the Decepticons would have intercepted it and if you think back to a transmission I sent to _all_ Autobots... I was no longer receiving top secret information via private comm. Link, because we suspected the Decepticons could intercept any information coming to me. Remember when Jazz told you no more private comm messages? That order came from me,"

"But Ironhide would still be alive if I was more careful,"

"No, Strobe there was nothing you could do, the Decepticons were making their final push and they ruled the skies and the land."

Pain crossed Strobe's features. Optimus Prime placed his hand on the side of Strobe's face and turned her head towards him, "Ironhide wouldn't want this," he implored the femme, "It is time for you to let go,"

"But...,"

"...There was nothing you could do." Warm air moved through her vents as she stared into Prime's compassionate optics, "Don't beat yourself up anymore Strobe. You did everything right." Prime stroked her faceplates gently with the back of his hand, "It's over," he said gently, "And time for you to move on,"

Strobe stared at him a little longer and then nodded, "Okay," she replied quietly,

"Promise?" Optimus asked,

"I promise," she replied.

Optimus stroked the side of her face with his hand and then cupped his hand behind her helm. She could feel a light pressure behind her as he drew her head closer to his,

"No, Optimus Prime...," Strobe got up and looked at the picture of the Autobot leader with Elita. She sighed and let her shoulders slump; despite everything Elita had seen and been through she could still find happiness and love. Strobe shuttered her optics and shook her head. Why couldn't she be like Elita? Why couldn't she find the same happiness as her?

She turned back to Optimus Prime and looked at him, warm air squeezed through her vents as she sighed with a great sadness. After many years of being tortured and imprisoned by an organic race and losing the two mechs that mattered the most to her she had placed a hard shell around her spark and she believed that nothing could break it, not even the love of a spark mate.

She turned away to hide the tear that was rebelliously rolling down her cheek but it was too late, Prime had already seen it. His spark filled with compassion for the femme as he got up and placed his hand on her cheek and gently moved her helm so she was facing him. A large blue servo wiped away the tear,

"I don't know how to do this," Strobe said,

"Then I will show you how," he replied softly.

Strobe moved her head forwards and allowed it to rest on his shoulder, he wrapped his arms around her and held her tightly and close to himself. He believed he could break down those barriers and didn't care how long it would take; he was not going to allow her to be another casualty of war.

Strobe frowned for a moment, "I'm sorry,"

"What for?" Strobe heard the puzzlement in Prime's question,

"I ruined our evening,"

"Oh Strobe," he purred as he tightened his grip on the femme, "You haven't ruined our evening at all," he assured her. There was a moment's pause before Optimus pushed her away from him gently and cupped her face in his massive blue hands, his optics wondering over her face, taking in her features and her pain, "Let me help you, Strobe. Let me show you how to love. Trust me, Strobe. It will be alright."

She stood there silently for a while before giving a small smile, "Okay," she replied, "I will trust you."

A warm smile crossed his features and Strobe felt a little of the wall around her spark melt away. He slowly leaned into her and kissed her lightly, Strobe felt a warmth flow through her body as his lips met hers. She could feel her spark pulsing rapidly as she responded to the Autobot leader and a little bit more of the wall fell away. Strobe allowed herself to get lost in him, in his embrace and wrapped her arms around the Autobot leader as he purred and rested his head on her shoulder. He enjoyed the femme, her gentle touch, her femininity. She was right for him, he was convinced of that and he knew this was what Elita would have wanted for the both of them.

* * *

><p>The night on patrol had been long and quiet but Sideswipe didn't mind, for eons now quiet patrols were a luxury which he could now enjoy. He could feel the lightweight of Beth in his passenger seat. She wasn't allowed to go but Optimus Prime said it was okay if there were two of them going on patrol and they radioed in regularly.<p>

His brother drove up beside him. Sideswipe knew he was enjoying the quiet patrol as well, he could feel it in his brother's bond. They stopped just on the edge of a bluff and transformed. Sunstreaker stood on the edge of the bluff and planted his hands on his hips before sighing loudly. The birds begun to sing their early morning chorus as the mountain ranges around New England slowly came back to life after their peaceful slumber.

The sun was just beginning to rise casting long shadows on the ground beneath them and throwing a warm golden glow on anything the early morning sunlight touched. It wasn't Cybertron but the yellow frontline warrior knew that and there would be nothing else that would match Cybertron but if Sideswipe and the other Autobots could fight for this planet and accept this place as their home _and_ find happiness here, then so could he. They had all been affected in their own way by the loss of Cybertron but they were all now learning to make the best of where they were and he was no exception.

Sideswipe stood beside his brother and looked across the land that had now become so familiar and smiled; this was one of the favourite places he and Beth enjoyed going to. Beth stood between the two frontline warriors where she felt the safest; Sideswipe stooped down and picked her up. Sunstreaker gave her a sideways glance, he had to admit that despite the fact she was organic she was attractive.

Sideswipe checked his internal time device, "We'd better head back out our patrol is nearly over."

"Shame, it's too nice to leave," Beth replied,

"Another time, Beth," Sideswipe replied, "You can camp out here all night when it is safer."

They drove back through the quiet streets towards NEST and Washington silently. Beth watched the scenery slide past at break neck speed as Sideswipe drove along the road. The sun wasn't fully up so it was dark under the canopy of trees which had grown across the road. She turned to look at the road Sideswipe was following, a road which cut its way through the undergrowth and trees of the forest.

In the silence of the early morning drive Beth's thoughts turned to Ironhide, many a time they had driven along this road so that she could spend some time with the Lennoxes during her days off. She missed the black weapons specialist so much; the place wasn't the same without him. He was always sitting somewhere polishing his cannons or going over some finer details with Optimus Prime and then there was Strobe. If Beth missed him how much worse was it for his sister? She had escaped from that terrible place to find the Autobots and be reunited with the only family member she had left.

Sideswipe noticed how quiet Beth was and asked if she was okay,

"Yeah," Beth replied thoughtfully, "Just thinking...about Strobe,"

Sideswipe smiled, "What about Strobe?" he asked, "What has she done now?"

Beth turned to him and frowned, "Nothing...we get on very well together...well I think we do, but it's just that I have memories of Ironhide since he's been on earth and so do many others but she hasn't got any,"

Sideswipe's holoform had a thoughtful look on his face and then he smiled at her, "She probably still remembers when they were younger before the war but you're right she won't have any recent ones.

"Well as a human I keep our photos on computer or memory stick and before that they were in photo albums, so what I was thinking was we could put together some of our favourite memories of Ironhide on a data pad and give it to her."

"That's a good idea, Beth," Sideswipe replied, "I would like to help you with that,"

"**You can count me in too**,"Sunstreaker chimed,

Beth looked at Sideswipe in a surprised manner, "Can Sunstreaker hear us?"

"He listens in; he's frightened of missing out," Sideswipe replied,

"**Hey,"** Sunstreaker snipped indignantly, "**That is not true,"**

Beth laughed and shook her head and then looked out of the window again, the trees were beginning to give way to the first signs of civilisation. Lights were on in windows as people begun to get ready for work and every now and then a car would start its long journey into town.

Beth always found winding down after a night shift hard to do and this morning was no exception. She sat in the rec room and yawned as she jiggled a fruit tea in hot water. Strobe saw her sitting there and walked toward her,

"What are you doing still up? You should be sleeping." Beth looked up at her, "Oh you look soo tired," she exclaimed and sat opposite the young soldier,

Beth looked up from her mug of hot water and smiled, "I'll be okay, I just need time to wind down or I won't be able to get to sleep,"

"Ahhh, the human system sounds so complex," Strobe replied,

Beth shrugged her shoulders, "It works for us,"

"Well I'm glad to hear that," Strobe chuckled.

Beth frowned; Strobe seemed a little bit different this morning, like the veil of misery had been lifted off and a new brighter more joyful Strobe had emerged. When the young soldier's tired eyes met Strobe's sapphire optics they seemed to hold the same expression as her mood it was almost like she was...in love or something like that,

"You seem quite chirpy, Strobe, what's got into you this morning," Beth asked.

"Not what...who?" Moonracer replied lightly as she walked past.

The jade green femme scowled at Moonracer and then looked at Beth puzzled, "...Nothing!" she replied, "And anyway birds are chirpy...not Autobots." Beth giggled, "What's so funny?" Strobe asked.

The expression on Beth's face changed when she saw the look of bewilderment on the femme's face. It took her back a little bit, it was almost like he was sitting opposite her and chatting with her like he used to most mornings when he would come and touch base with her. She smiled a little bit and took a sip from the mug, the water temperature was just right and Beth enjoyed the medley of flavour. She smiled at Strobe,

"Sometimes you remind me of Ironhide so much," she said.

A look of surprise washed over Strobe's face, "I do?" she asked,

"Yes you do," Beth replied.

A comfortable silence grew between the two females as they slipped into their individual memories of the weapons specialist. A pang of pain stabbed Strobe in the spark, her memories of her brother were still as strong and even though she didn't feel so sad to go back on them anymore it still hurt to do so,

"Beth...what...was your relationship with my brother?"

Beth heard Strobe's question in her reverie and snapped out of it quickly,

"He was like a mentor to me," she said, "He took me under his wing as soon as I arrived on the NEST base when he found out I didn't have a father figure in my life," A small smile crossed Strobe's face; she remembered when he took Bumblebee under his wing, "At first I was scared of him, he was quite an intimidating Autobot until I met my first Decepticon during a routine patrol and we called for backup. Ironhide was there in a flash."

Strobe laughed, "That sounds like Ironhide, whenever he heard about Decepticon attacks he'd be the first to leave the base...always,"

"I know," Beth laughed, "He'd convinced himself that I needed to have more training on the shooting range. I needed to fine tune my skills he said."

"He didn't convince himself," Strobe said seriously, "He wanted to make sure you were safe. Ironhide would pay special attention to those he cared about deeply. I should know, I'm his sister, when the war started he wouldn't let me out of his sight until I took on my role in the Autobot army. Lucky you, you won your place in his spark."

Beth's smile disappeared when she remembered hearing the news of Ironhide's death and a heavy sadness consumed her heart, "What's the matter, Beth?" Strobe asked,

"I miss him so much," she replied,

"So do I," Strobe replied. Both females looked at each other for a minute as they shared their grief over the loss of Ironhide. A bond started to develop between them as they shared their grief and their memories and Strobe realised that she had a friend in Beth who would always be close to her because of her relationship with Ironhide. This short time she had spent with Beth sharing these memories had been such a soothing medicine for Strobe and for once she could feel a deep peace and acceptance over her brother's death.

Beth started to doze off at the table in front of Strobe, she gently shook Beth awake, "You need to go to bed," she laughed.

"Yeah, I guess I do," Beth replied. She got up and took her empty cup and placed it on the tray before she trudged off towards her quarters.

Strobe went off to find Optimus Prime but got distracted by bustling as Charlotte walked through the glass doors with William and Aiden in tow,

"Autobot Strobe," the jade green femme turned around to see who spoke to her in such a sharp tone, "The case will be starting next Wednesday...here and you will be the first witness up. I expect you to be here."

"Where else am I going to be," Strobe laughed. William imitated a polite cough while Charlotte scowled at the femme, "There is nothing funny about this!" Charlotte quipped.

Now it was Strobe's turn to scowl, "I know," she replied dangerously.

"Charlotte Mearing!" Prime's resonant voice echoed around the base, "I will not have you ordering my Autobots around. If you request something of them then you go through me."

"Go Optimus Prime!" Mirage muttered.

Prime stood beside Strobe and placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder. Charlotte breathed in loudly while straightening her shoulders, "Very well...if that's how we're going to play this. Optimus Prime I require Strobe to be here for next Wednesday."

"I will make sure she is here," he replied.

"Good, now what about Beth," Charlotte replied as she turned around to William,

"She's on night duty. I will pass the message on Director."

"Very well." Charlotte replied.

She glared at Strobe and Optimus Prime again and shook her head as she left. Mirage walked up to Prime,

"I do not like that woman." He spat.

Strobe turned to her leader, "You are going to be with me next week, aren't you?"

"I will be there, Strobe," Prime assured the femme, "You won't be alone,"

She nodded, "I don't think I can do this alone, I have to face him again and I can't promise I won't do anything if I do,"

Prime scowled, "Strobe, he has caused you great harm, I can understand that, but you have to promise me you won't harm him," he replied firmly. Strobe stood there silently for a minute, "You have to let the human justice system deal with him," he continued,

"It's not a human issue, I'm a Cybertronian," Strobe insisted in a raised tone,

"Ohhh, she's not happy," Roabuster moaned,

"Yeah and we all know what happens when she's unhappy," Leadfoot replied.

"It's on human soil and Simon hasn't just tried to harm you, he tried to kidnap Beth as well and kill Aiden." Optimus replied, "You leave him alone or I will be forced to punish you,"

Strobe went to open her mouth and argue again but decided against it when Optimus Prime sent her a warning glare. She slumped her shoulders and vented air in frustration,

"Alright," she replied quietly, "I won't harm him,"

Prime stepped toward her majestically and held her hand, his touch sent ripples of electrical current through her system,

"Thank you," he replied.

She could sense optics watching them and turned around, "Uhmm...," she said quietly,

"Don't mind us," Leadfoot said, "It's about time Optimus Prime had a new mate."

Strobe scowled, "Who said I am his mate?" she asked a little embarrassed,

She turned to Optimus Prime, the look of hurt was unmistakeable; she looked down and shuttered her optics while she held his hands,

"**It's okay with me, if it's okay with you,"** she said,

"**They need some good news,"** Prime replied, "Autobots, Strobe and I have become very close over the weeks and we have decided to be bonded together."

A roar rose up among the Autobots, Ratchet walked up to the Autobot leader and placed his hands on both their shoulders, "Congratulations to you both." he replied,

"About time," Moonracer smiled at Strobe.

* * *

><p>The lawyer sat on the end of the phone as he listened to one of the four men who went to the installation. He had designated himself as the leader and frankly the lawyer found him to be a rather whiny character who went into great lengths to complain about the soldiers being there,<p>

"I see," he said and rubbed his temples, "Forget about the soldiers, did you find anything?" he asked,

"_No,"_ he replied, "_All evidence was gone and so were the documents supporting it,"_

The lawyer swore under his breath, this was the second phone call that had come back as unsuccessful. Whoever was doing the investigation for the Autobot had obviously got there first! This was very bad news and it meant the case was more likely to swing against Simon and he was going to have to be the bringer of bad news to prepare the man. The lawyer was angry, in all his years as working as a lawyer he had never lost a case but this one was lost before it even begun. He put down his pen and his glasses and looked at his watch all he wanted was to be in the loving arms of his wife. Finally conceding defeat he got up, "_If only Simon had been a lot more cooperative,"_ he thought to himself as he picked up his lap top now securely in its case and left the office,

"Bye Janice," he said to his secretary,

"Have a nice weekend, Matt," she replied.

Matt wasn't sure if he was going to enjoy his weekend, the case was absorbing his whole life and he wanted a break from it. He thought about maybe taking his wife away for a while but he would end up taking his work with him, even if he left his laptop and files at home he couldn't stop the feeling that this case was going to fail and he was the one defending the man. Matt sighed as he stepped into his car and drove through the busy streets of Washington. He stopped briefly by the building where the case was going to be held and looked at it.

So this was where those war machines were hidden, he shook his head as he put his car back into drive and thought about the events that transpired on that terrible morning in Chicago and robbed him of his sister and her husband. Anger surged through his body raising his already high blood pressure. His wife had said that he should give the case to somebody else because it was doing him no good but Matt said nothing. He hit the steering wheel and cursed. Those Autobots were fighting to save the planet he lived on, his sister died in the battle and here he was defending a man who was experimenting on one of the very things that had come to save their very lives. Matt growled as he pulled into their drive and wondered how he could have been so stupid and taken a case that was set for failure on.

As he stepped into his house he was greeted by the calm music from a cd his wife had recently brought. He shut the door behind him and watched as she threw ingredients for a salad into a bowl and placed it on the table while humming a tune to her favourite song. Suddenly everything melted away and a calm peacefulness surged through his veins. He smiled as he walked up to her, turned her around and kissed her fully on the lips. She squeaked with surprise and then responded to the show of affection,

"How was your day?" she asked,

"Disastrous," he replied flatly, "I don't know why I'm doing this case,"

She looked at him; this was the first time she'd ever heard such a defeat in him, "Because you believe in it,"

Matt poured himself a glass of wine from the bottle set on the table and handed one to his wife, "Not this time." He replied.

She shrugged her shoulders, "So you lose this one, maybe the person you're defending deserves to go down. It's no big deal." She walked back into the kitchen her blonde waves bobbing up and down, "You can't win them all."

Matt stood there for a moment as he let those words sink in. He'd heard that before from his lecturer and his mentor in the office when he took on his first case. Suddenly everything came into perspective. Of course he didn't have to win this one, everybody lost a case sometime in their careers. Besides which the man was arrogant and obnoxious, and certainly dangerous for the peace of the human/Autobot relationship. Matt understood that.

His wife came back with the dish of Lasagne in the oven mits and placed it on the mat on the table and then left for the salad. Another realization hit him; if _they_ didn't win he wouldn't be here now, with his wife of eight months. He was alive so he owed them a favour, maybe this was the way he could repay them, maybe he could play a role in making sure Simon could go behind bars...for a long time. He scowled, then he would be jeopardising his own work and that could have a detrimental effect on his career. He sighed. Matt now resented taking this case on. His wife walked back in again with serving spoons,

"All you can do..." she said as she set the spoons down and sat opposite him, "...is your best," she took a sip out of her glass and watched him over the top, "Let's grace," she said.

* * *

><p>Ratchet was pottering around in his med bay when he heard the heavy footsteps of army boots behind him,<p>

"Ratchet,"

The CMO walked toward Beth and stooped down in front of her, "What is it, Beth?" he asked,

"I would like to do something for Strobe,"

"Oh?" Ratchet asked, "What would that be?"

"Well we were talking about Ironhide yesterday and I was wondering if we could put some memories together of him. I could ask the other Autobots if they have could..."

"That won't be necessary, Beth," Ratchet replied, "You have come up with an excellent idea, one I believe she would really appreciate. Leave it with me and I will speak to the other Autobots if you speak to the humans."

Beth smiled, "Alright, I will."

"It's nice to see you and Strobe becoming friends, Beth. She needs the support of friends right now, both human and Autobot!" Ratchet heard the sound of Sideswipe as he reeled through the corridor looking for Beth, he was due out on patrol again with the soldier and needed to meet her at the door but when he discovered she wasn't there he set off to look for her, "You'd better go, Sideswipe is looking for you,"

Beth turned to walk back towards the main entrance when Ratchet called her; she turned back and looked over her shoulder at the CMO who was now smirking, "Let's put an element of surprise in this." Beth smiled and continued on her journey to the main entrance where she sat on a crate and waited for her partner and friend.

Sunstreaker was the first one to arrive and looked down at the tiny human his brother had chosen for a mate. It wasn't the usual look of contempt he had for her or the other humans which made a pleasant change for Beth who found travelling with the yellow frontline warrior quite stressful at times. Beth turned away from him and looked out through the double doors. A chilly wind blew along the path the Autobots drove along pushing leaves along with it; as the wind died down they lay where Ironhide fell in a pile of warm browns, golds and reds. Beth smiled as tears pooled in the corner of her eyes,

"Love you Ironhide," she muttered as quietly as possible and tried to discreetly wipe the tear from her eyes.

Sunstreaker watched with curiosity, what was the femme doing? He picked up an emotion in her that was quite unlike what he normally felt from the young woman, it was one of...grief. Yes that was what it was.

Grief!

"There you are," Sideswipe purred as he stepped up to her delicately and stooped down in front of her, I've been looking for you," a look of concern formed on his metallic features as Beth turned to him with a sad expression, "Are you okay?" A protective hand formed around Beth's small frame protectively as she looked up at him,

"Look at the leaves," she said.

Sideswipe looked outside the door and saw the leaves lying on the ground; a small smile crossed his face and then another gust of wind came and blew them all away, but that didn't matter for Beth. It was a poignant moment she was able to share with Sideswipe and she would always remember.

* * *

><p>Wednesday morning came around all too quickly for Matt as he sighed and rose out of bed. His wife was already up and fixing up her hair in their en suite bathroom, she smiled as she came back into the bedroom and cuddled her husband's strong body,<p>

"Morning sleepy head," she said.

Matt took in the scent of her pretty perfume and kissed her on the head before he disappeared into the en suite to get ready for work. As he put on his suit he mentally run through the evidence he had collected and the itinerary for the day. He looked down at it briefly and his eyes fell on the heading "meet the Autobots." It was quite a scary concept as he thought about what it would be like to meet them. He shrugged his shoulders. Time will tell! He thought about the man in his cell who was going to be picked up shortly and taken to NEST blindfolded. He was going to travel in a heavily armoured army vehicle with a heavy patrol around him.

The lock on Simon's door clunked and the prison guard steed into his cell, "Wilson get cleaned up, you're due in court in one and a half hours."

Simon got up and stepped toward the guard; he held out his hand for the chains to be put on and allowed himself to be escorted through the corridors to the mess room where he collected his breakfast. Simon had learnd very quickly to keep his head down and mind his own business if he was to get out of prison but when he looked around at the men eating their meal he noticed one of them was staring at him, he narrowed his eyes,

"You're going down!" he mouthed and carried on with his breakfast.

Simon put his head down and carried on eating his breakfast, the last thing he wanted to do was cause any sort of grief between himself and the other inmates. He looked around the mess room at the guards who were standing nearby; they offered some security but they would be easy to overcome. Panic started to surge through Simon's veins, what if the case failed? He could end up in here forever. What if these inmates or some of these inmates were sympathetic towards those machines? This wasn't going to be good!

* * *

><p>A dark car with shaded windows pulled up outside Matt's house just as his wife walked out of the door to her car,<p>

"Your ride is here," she called back to her husband who had walked up behind her and kissed her on the cheek,

"Have a good day," he said,

The blonde woman hugged her husband, "I'll pray for you during the day," she assured him, ""You'll be ok,"

"Thanks Matt," replied as he walked down the two steps in the front of his house.

As he walked toward the door a man in a suit got out of the vehicle and opened a door for him and Matt got in. It was a last minute decision to drive the man to the base but Charlotte felt it was more prudent in case any Autobot sympathisers were to get hold of the story and find out he was the defence for Simon Wilson. The drive was a silent one and Matt was grateful for that, it gave him time to think about his opening statement and pray silently.

He looked out of the window as the car joined the snake of vehicles making their usual journey to their destinations. The sunlight rose over the mountains and shone on the wet streets littered with the last few stubborn leaves. People had swapped their brightly coloured summer clothes for their warm winter coats, scarves and hats. Winter was definitely on the way...and so was Thanksgiving. Matt thought of all the plans his wife was silently making for the celebration while he was busy with this case, he promised himself that he would help her once he had finished. It was going to be a massive family celebration with both their parents there, and they had a special announcement to make.

He smiled to himself as he thought about the new life forming inside his wife, it was a little earlier than they had planned but who cares. It was a special blessing after the incredible loss they had suffered earlier in the summer. His smile quickly disappeared as once again he thought about the man he was defending and the pain he was causing to one Autobot while others were fighting for the rights of humanity and freedom,

"We're here," the driver of the vehicle said.

The car stopped just in front of the gate and two guards walked towards the vehicle. The driver pushed the button and spoke to the guards, one of them looked at Matt in the back and scowled briefly,

"So this is the defense,"

"Yeah, this is him," the driver sighed.

Matt squirmed a little in his seat with discomfort and said a silent prayer as the car drove through the gates and up the path. Once outside the double doors the driver got out and opened the door for Matt, Charlotte greeted him and then he was ushered into the human area where he was giving a secrecy document to sign and debriefed in whom he would be dealing with. He was then taken out to the catwalk where he would be introduced to Optimus Prime.

Matt was lead along the corridors and out through the double glass doors, the first thing he noticed was the smell of oil but there was another smell as well, one which he wasn't familiar with, it wasn't metallic although that was mingled in it was different and overpowering to his olfactory senses. He stepped onto the bright yellow catwalk and up to the command area. Matt noticed the empty chairs and blank screens; nothing much seemed to be happening. He scowled, what was going on here? Why weren't they keeping an eye for out for more of those vicious beasts that took his sister away from him. He looked out over the catwalk and noticed the various vehicles that looked like they should be in some sort of showroom or car show. His eyes clapped on the bright red one, he'd always dreamed of having a bright red car ever since he was a boy.

Matt was distracted by a noise in the background and turned his attention to the direction the noise came from. Nothing could have prepared Matt for the sight he was about to see, he'd heard about these robots from Chicago but the size and the majesty of this massive red and blue being was beyond the young lawyer's ability to comprehend. Optimus Prime walked up to the catwalk majestically, closely followed by Bumblebee and Sideswipe. Prime noted the man's nervous demeanour and did everything he could to make sure he was as unimposing as possible,

"Matt, I would like you to meet the leader of the Autobots, Optimus Prime," Charlotte said

Matt watched in horror as the Autobot leader's bulk took up his whole line of vision. He bent down so he could get a better look at the lawyer, Matt stepped back alarmed by the attention he was getting from this massive robot and felt quite intimidated. A smaller yellow robot came and stood beside him and planted his hands on his waist and next to him was Sideswipe. On the other side was a smaller more slender framed robot of a jade green and black colour. Matt couldn't help but notice the slightly feminine look this robot had as she stood beside her leader and narrowed her optics at the small human in an intimidating fashion.

Prime noticed the fearful look on Matt's face and turned to Strobe, the glare he gave her silently rebuked the femme and she looked down ashamed,

"Wow," Matt muttered as he continued to look up at the Autobots awestruck by their sheer size. He wasn't sure what amazed him the most, the fact that the blue and red one had a silent authority over the whole entire area or just being so close to them, and then another thought entered his mind, how was it that a being so big could allow a human so small to entrap them and hold them. He scowled, the building he saw said it all,

"Matt," Optimus Prime said. Matt snapped his head back in the direction of Optimus Prime, "My name is Optimus Prime and I am the leader of the Autobots."

Matt stood there for a minute, now what was he supposed to do. William remembered the first time he met Bumblebee and although they were different circumstances being up so close to one of these Autobots was very intimidating. He stepped up to Matt and placed a hand on the young man's shoulder, Matt looked around and noted William's nod of assurance. He turned back to Prime and coughed politely in his hand,

"Uhhh...h-h-hello..." Matt cringed at the stutter he was usually so self assured and confident, "My name i-is M-Matt Wilkins...sir," he replied and held out his hand,

"Well it's a pleasure to meet you Matt, may I introduce you to my SIC, Bumblebee..." he held out his hand towards Bumblebee who nodded a greeting and then to Strobe, "...and this is Strobe,"

The Autobot and the human studied each other for a minute before the doors opened again and an armoured vehicle arrived carrying Simon Wilcox. Strobe turned around and watched as the man emerged hand cuffed and blindfolded and lead away by two guards to a holding area. Strobe slid her hand into Optimus Prime's hand and stepped toward her leader. Matt noted the change in the femme's actions and felt a little sympathy toward her.

Charlotte looked at her watch, "We should all get to the conferee room," she said.

The Autobots transformed down and their holoforms appeared and together with the humans they made their way to the conference room. Matt looked around the room, it was set up like a courthouse with the judge's position on the stage. Matt looked at the prosecution who was talking to a beautiful young woman dressed in a smart black suit with a jade green top and long raven black hair. She turned to Matt her eyes were a sharp crystal blue, nothing like he had seen on earth.

Nearby was another man dressed equally as smart in a suit, he was taller than the female and it was obvious to Matt the couple were romantically linked. The doors opened and two guards flanked Simon as they brought him up to Matt, his blindfold was now off and he looked a whole lot more respectable than the last time he saw him. He was clean shaven and his hair was neatly brushed but he looked a little more haggard and worn. He was sat next to Matt who was shuffling papers,

"So, where is she?" Simon snarled at Matt.

The young lawyer looked at him sternly and altered his glasses, he had been briefed in the importance of making sure Simon couldn't hassle Strobe in any way or form for his own safety, she might be an Autobot who had sworn to protect the humans but there was no telling what she would do if she was pushed too hard,

"Behave yourself!" Matt snarled at him,

"Hm, sorry," Simon sneered.

A smart soldier came through the door and bellowed all rise and then the judge walked in with the jury. He was a man in his fifties with a no nonsense expression on his sharp, ruddy features. The Autobots and humans stood up and waited for him to be seated and then the court begun. The first up was the prosecution who stood and started his opening statement,

"Your honour we are here today to hear about how a man held captive and tortured Autobot Strobe for a number of years while her colleagues were fighting for our right to exist...,"

Matt listened to the opening statement and he couldn't help but think how it was fair and seemed to be true, getting this man off was going to be hard. He thought about his sister and her husband again and then he looked at Simon, did he want to get this man off? His sister died in their war, what if Strobe being free could have changed events on earth somewhere else? The prosecution sat down and it was his turn to give his opening statement,

"Your honour, we are here today to prove this man's innocence, he did work in the installation where Strobe was but she was already there. So to say he held her captive and tortured her is an unfair statement, he was merely carrying on with the work he had been instructed to do..."

Simon looked toward the prosecution who was sitting to the left of the young woman he assumed to be Strobe. She caught him sneering at her out of the corner of her eyes and quickly looked away, "_Don't do it Strobe! Don't d it!"_ she thought as she desperately tried to fight the urge to hit him,

"He could have stopped at any time," a voice bellowed among the spectators,

"Silence!" the judge yelled.

"...This man is innocent and I am here to prove it" Matt concluded and sat down.

An announcement was made for the first witness to come forward which was Strobe, she proclaimed she would tell the truth and then waited for the questions to begin. The defence stood there and asked her to tell the court what had happened. Strobe sat there and gave a clear and precise account of how she came to be in the installation and how she was tortured, frozen and sometimes she was in stasis and other times she was fully conscious but most of the time she was able to register pain. The prosecutor asked her if she had at any time tried to escape and she told them that she had but they overloaded her systems. All the time Matt wrote notes from Strobe's evidence on paper.

Strobe's evidence was at times harrowing as she told of her pain when they were strapping her to the cuffs and tortured her to keep her quiet. She shrugged her shoulders and looked down and then she turned to Simon,

"Ever screamed out in pain and nobody hears you?" she spat.

Bumblebee remembered the dry ice very well from his own captivity and what the humans did, he scowled as he looked toward the man who was now standing up and cross examining the femme Autobot. Matt's questions came in hard and fast but Strobe calmly offered the answers to the questions he asked,

"**I'm sorry you went through all this if I had known I would have come to rescue you sooner,"** he whispered to Strobe.

She looked in his direction and tears pooled in the corner of her eyes,

"**Don't do this to yourself you had no way of knowing," **she replied.

Optimus Prime wished he had bonded with her sooner and then he could have soothed her broken spark across the courtroom. His spark hurt for the femme and right now he wanted to walk across the courtroom and hold her close to himself. Moonracer leaned into Prowl,

"What are we doing here? They are no better than the Decepticons," she snarled,

"Ssshhh," Prowl replied as he put a hand around her shoulders, "It's alright."

"What language did you speak?" Matt asked.

Strobe looked at him, "Cybertronian," she replied,

"Then why can you speak English now?"

The prosecution stood up, "Objection, her ability to speak our language is not what this case is about,"

"Sustained," the judge replied.

Matt sighed, he knew that would happen but it was worth a try.

* * *

><p>Beth found it hard to concentrate as she sat in the med bay with First aid sorting through the pictures of Ironhide which were flooding in. Ratchet was waiting to give his evidence about the anatomy of Autobots and clear a few things up for those who didn't understand the technical language Strobe and others would have used and the state Strobe was when he rescued her. It was up to him to show how sentient they really were and how their processors work to register pain.<p>

Beth couldn't believe the reaction she got from the Autobots or the humans and it made her feel so proud to be a part of such a huge family. She did find it hard as she sifted through the countless pictures sent to her email. Some of them she could remember like when Ironhide was checking her stance as she aimed a new weapon he wanted her to try out, one he made for her when he found out it was her birthday. A tear came to her eye which she discreetly wiped away, she didn't realise somebody had photographed that one, there was also the picture on the wall in William's office of Ironhide with Annabelle and Sarah,

"We can stop if this is too much for you," First Aid said, we've been at it a long time,"

"I'm okay," Beth replied, "It's just some memories have been brought to the surface,"

"Good memories?" First aid asked,

Beth smiled warmly, "Very good memories," she replied.

The junior medic looked over her shoulder and smiled when he saw how comfortable Beth looked in the photo with Ironhide beside her,

"I can see you had a good relationship with him, are you going to put that one in,"

"No, it's not about me, it's about Ironhide,"

First aid looked at her seriously, Beth...," he said as he took her hands, "From what I understand you were very much part of Ironhide's life while he was alive, I think Strobe would appreciate seeing him in pictures with humans he shared a relationship with, it would help in her healing process,"

Beth smiled again, it was one of the best relationships she had ever had and so was her relationship with Sideswipe right now,

"Yeah, you're right." she replied.

* * *

><p>That is the end of this chapter. Sorry if it jumps around a little bit. I hope to publish the next one quite soon.<p>

Thanks for reading and reviewing.


	17. Chapter 17

**Disclaimer; Don't own Transformers or their merchandise.**

Sorry I took a while again.

I decided not to go into a long drawn out court case because this is the last chapter and I wanted to conclude a lot of things; in particular Strobe and Beth and Sideswipe and Beth. I hope you enjoy this story and as usual reviews are always welcome.

* * *

><p>chapter 17<p>

The end of the road.

Beth looked out over the city of Washington as the winter sun set. A peaceful calm fell upon the city despite all that was going on in the base, but right now she didn't care about that. Her life had taken many twists and turns over the last few months and she just wanted to take a few minutes to take stock of things. She wondered across the roof of the NEST base, leaned over the wall and looked in the direction of her apartment. Now that they, whoever they were, had gathered all the evidence they needed she decided it was now time to go back to her apartment and collect some more things, clean it up and sell it. There was no way she could face going back, not after Aiden's arrival and then the attack; besides which the Beth that used to live there was different to the Beth who she was now.

For a start she had done something she had promised she would never do...become romantically linked to an Autobot and yet here she was now teetering on the edge of the unknown and becoming romantically involved with Sideswipe. She had no way of knowing how it was going to work. Nobody did. It was scary but if she was honest about things then she would have to admit that she did love him. The problem was his brother and his arrogant attitude.

She could hear footsteps behind her, "There you are," Sideswipe's voice purred, "What are you doing up here alone?"

Beth turned around and faced the frontline warrior in his bi pedal mode, her curly hair blowing in the winter breeze, her face silhouetted by the clouds set on fire by the final rays of the late afternoon sun. She smiled as she rested both hands on the concrete wall beside her body and leaned.

She shrugged, "Just thinking," she replied,

"About what?" Sideswipe asked as he stood in front of her.

Beth shrugged her shoulders again, "Stuff," she replied and turned around to look out over the city again.

The frontline warrior turned her around so she was facing him and gently stroked her face, "What sort of stuff," he asked.

Beth shut her eyes, the frontline warrior smiled as he watched Beth enjoy his touch and then he transformed into his vehicle mode and his holoform jumped out of the car,

"A lot of stuff has happened since I joined NEST some of them good and some of them bad,"

"What about us?" Sideswipe asked,

Beth turned around and looked out across Washington again, lights were shining from windows of offices and slowly apartment blocks were lit with warm glows as people stepped in through their front doors. She folded her arms across her chest and rubbed her upper arms as a look of uncertainty crossed her face. He stepped toward her and snaked his arms around her waist, she shut her eyes as he muzzled her neck,

"Sideswipe...," she whispered, "When I first met you I wasn't sure about you...and then you decided to take me on as your charge. The thing is...we've gone beyond that and I don't know if I want to go back to being just your charge."

"You don't have to," he replied.

"But...I'm a human...organic as your brother reminds me so often and...,"

"Ssshhh my princess, that's enough of that. I can handle my brother sweetspark,"

She turned around in his arms and hooked hers around his neck, he looked down at her, her chocolate brown eyes looking into his for reassurance, "Promise?" she asked,

"I promise," he replied.

They stood like that for a minute before he leaned into her and met her lips with his own. A snowflake fell and settled on Beth's curly hair, which was cascading over her thick red scarf, she opened her eyes and looked out over the city now shrouded by falling snow,

"Oh look, Sideswipe," she said, "It's snowing,"

A romantic song played from his radio and Sideswipe opened his arms, "Care to dance?" he asked.

Beth looked into his eyes as she slid her hands into his and slowly they swayed to the music. She rested her head against his chest as they continued to dance to the slow song.

It was cod but Beth really didn't care about that right now, it was just beautiful as they shuffled together in the snow and the frontline warrior gently kissed her head and breathed in the scent of her shampoo and perfume. The young woman looked up into Sideswipe's azure blue human eyes, they were warm and deep,

"Sideswipe, I love you," she said.

He stopped dancing and glared at her, Beth shut her eyes and grimaced as she mentally hit herself for spoiling the moment,

"Beth," Sideswipe said, "Open your eyes,"

Beth opened them and looked at him, "Oh Sideswipe, I'm so sorry," she said as she wriggled out of his grasp and headed toward the door that would lead her to the stairs but she slipped in the snow and squealed as she fell to the ground,

"Beth, are you okay?" Sideswipe asked as he rushed toward her and offered his hand to help her up,

"I'm fine," she choked her eyes burning with tears of embarrassment.

She turned to run again but Sideswipe grabbed her arm and turned her around so she was facing him, he wiped away a tear that was now rolling down her cheek and looked at her questioningly,

"Why are you sorry and why are you crying?..." Beth started stuttering and mumbling her reason as she wiped the tears from her face with the back of her hand and sniffed, "I love you too, Beth," but the young woman didn't hear him.

He held both her arms in his hands, her long brown coat felt soft under his holoform fingers, "Beth...look at me," he said. Beth's glassy brown eyes met his alien blue optics, "I love you too, Beth,"

She frowned, "You do? I mean...I haven't spoilt everything?" she asked between her sobs,

"No, you silly femme," he replied lightly as he hugged her, "I love you Beth,"

They stood like that for a minute while Beth calmed down, she smiled, "Sideswipe..."Yes?"

"Would you come with me to help me clear out my apartment?"

A deep rumble rose up through Sideswipe's holoform's chest as he stroked her curly hair, "Yes," he replied,

She started to shiver, "We'd better get you inside, you're starting to shiver," he said.

Strobe followed Optimus Prime into his quarters and flopped into a chair, "I'm so glad that is over," she moaned. Optimus Prime stood there looking at the gorgeous femme, she was so different to Elita and yet like her in so many ways...one of them being the strength of courage to face adversity. Strobe looked up at her soon to be mate from her slouched position in the chair, "What?" she asked,

"I want you to move in," he said

Strobe looked at him for a moment, "I thought you wanted to wait a bit...I mean I don't mind moving in tonight if that is what you want. I mean..."

"I want that," Optimus Prime replied, "There is no point in waiting any longer, Strobe, we love each other so let's move forward together."

She stood up and walked toward him slowly and smiled warmly as she placed a hand on the side of his face,, "Then I will move in with you...tonight, my love."

* * *

><p>Strobe woke up slowly from the best recharge she had had in eons. She smiled as he greeted her with a kiss and purred contentedly as love rushed through the bond she shared with the Autobot leader.<p>

She snuggled against his body, "Love you Optimus,"

"Love you too," he replied as he revelled in the love she was sending back to him.

She shuttered her optics once more as she lay there enclosed by the Automaton's massive arms while her own rested on his shoulder and she caressed his face. A deep rumble emanated from Prime while he enjoyed her touch. She had so much love for her spark mate, an emotion that had been absent in the Autobot leader's life for a while.

Strobe checked the time, "I have to go," she said, "I promised Beth I would be there for her when she gives her evidence."

Optimus Prime was enjoying this moment and really didn't want it to end, "Just a few more minutes," he said, "It's still early,"

Strobe smiled, "Okay," she agreed.

Sunstreaker and Sideswipe were slowly walking through the corridor in deep conversation about Sideswipe's relationship with Beth,

"Yeah but it isn't right, she's better off with her own kind," Sunstreaker argued, "And so are you,"

"I don't see many femmes of our kind," Sideswipe snarled, "I love Beth and she loves me,"

"Oh listen to you," Sunstreaker yelled, "How do you know, has she ever told you?"

Sideswipe stopped and thought about last night when she said she loved him, "She told me last night," he replied quietly.

Susnstreaker scowled at his brother, "She did? What did you say?" he asked,

"I told her I love her,"

Sunstreaker planted his hands on his hips and vented slowly in frustration, "Do you really?" he asked,

"Yes I do," Sideswipe replied, "Now if you don't mind I said I'd support her while she gave her evidence,"

Sunstreaker shrugged his shoulders, "It's your life brother, I just hope you know what you're doing. I wouldn't want some human femme all over me, fingerprints everywhere. Yuk!"

Sideswipe shook his head and walked in the opposite direction to his brother towards Beth's quarters.

Beth looked around the conference room which now looked more like a court room from her position behind the witness stand. She could feel the butterflies in her stomach dancing the salsa as she looked out at the sea of faces looking at her; among them was Sideswipe and William Lennox. Strobe wasn't allowed to enter through fear that her presence may antagonise Simon or vice versa and neither was Aiden who was yet to give his evidence.

The prosecutor was the first to stand up and question her, a middle aged balding man with a solid build. The man stood up and walked toward Beth slowly,

"Beth Amersham...is that right?"

"Yes sir," she replied seriously,

"I'm sure the court would agree with me as I say thank you for your enrelenting courage during the battle in Chicago."

Beth looked at him and frowned, she had been unconscious through most of it, "Thank you sir," she replied.

"Could you please tell the court about how you became involved in the circumstances surrounding your brother?"

Beth told them everything about how her brother visited her in hospital until he disappeared.

"What happened then?"

Beth then explained about the note and how Simon had burst into her flat and attempted to kidnap her. Matt looked at Simon and scowled, and then he made a note on paper.

"Did anything else happen?"

"My apartment was burgled, the police said whoever it was were looking for something specific but they didn't leave any evidence,"

"Who do you think it was?"

Matt immediately stood up, "Objection!" he bellowed, "There is no evidence supporting my client's involvement,"

"Sustained!" the judge replied.

"No further questions, you're honour,"

The prosecution lawyer sat down and Matt stood up, he scrutinised her before looking at his notes and then approached the witness stand,

"Private Beth Amersham...may I call you that?"

"Yes sir," Beth replied,

Tell me about your relationship with Strobe and these Autobots,"

Beth sighed, "Strobe and I haven't been on talking terms until recently when we discovered we have something in common,"

"Hmm," Matt replied thoughtfully, "And the Autobots...I'm particularly interested in one called..." he walked back to his file and at the page it was open at, "...Sideswipe...what's your relationship with him?"

Beth looked at him puzzled, "We're...friends," she replied.

Matt raised his eyebrows so they lined the top frame of his glasses, "Friends!" he stated, "My evidence would suggest you two are lovers,"

He produced several photos of Beth and Sideswipe together, one as recent as the night before and showed them to Beth. The young soldier looked at them and sighed as she pinched the bridge of her nose. This was so embarrassing; the last thing she thought of was her relationship with Sideswipe being brought up. The prosecution lawyer stood up,

"Objection!" he bellowed, "Beth's relationship with Sideswipe isn't on trial."

"Your honour I'm trying to prove a point here," Matt insisted,

"Sustained!" the judge replied,

Matt sighed, "I believe Sideswipe threatened Simon is that right?"

Sideswipe scowled at Matt while yet again the prosecution lawyer stood up, "Objection!" he bellowed impatiently, "Sideswipe is _not_ on trial,"

"Your honour, I'm trying to make a point,"

The judge looked at Beth, "You may answer the question,"

Beth grimaced, how was she going to put this without incriminating Sideswipe? She took a deep breath, "I had gone to my apartment to pick up some stuff I needed because it was thought best if I stayed at the base now that Aiden had gone, and I still wasn't able to get around so easily. He burst into my apartment attacked me and dragged me out. Sideswipe came to help me, he was in no way threatening he merely stood between myself and Simon so I could get to his car,"

"So Sideswipe was threatening my client,"

"Objection!" the prosecution bellowed impatiently as he stood up, "Sideswipe isn't on trial,"

"Sustained!" the judge sighed and massaged his temple,

Beth looked at Simon and then Matt before turning to the judge, "I'd like to answer this one,"

"Alright then," the judge replied.

Beth looked at Matt, "Your client," she replied firmly, "Burst into my apartment, threatened me, dragged me down the stairs _with_ my injuries and attempted to kidnap me. Why are you asking me questions about Sideswipe when it is clear he is not at fault here?"

Matt looked at her, "Alright then," he snapped, "Why didn't you tell Aiden to leave your apartment when he was in trouble, surely you must have known the sort of trouble he was in?"

"Obviously you were so busy trying to dig up dirt about myself and Sideswipe you missed the sort of childhood both Aiden and myself grew up in. We lost contact with each other for about fifteen years, when we did find each other we made a pact that no matter what we would help each other."

"Nice!" Matt replied sarcastically, he went back to his notes, "Aiden's not much of a brother is he?" hebellowed, "He abandoned his wife and young family, dragged you into his problems and then abandoned you and ran away from my client. Why would you want to help him? It seems you were better off letting him get on with it?" Matt glared at her through his silver rimmed glasses.

Beth looked at Matt's hand holding the file and the wedding ring on his finger which looked fairly new, "What would you do if your wife was in trouble? My brother needed help so I offered it. What is wrong with that? Simon threatened my brother, manipulated his wife to give him information and kidnapped myself."

Matt looked at her, "No further questions, your honour," he replied quietly.

He sat down next to Simon, "I'm gonna kill her," Simon snarled silently.

Matt looked at him, "Be quiet!" he spat.

"Court is in recess until this afternoon, when we will hear Aiden Amersham's evidence. Beth Amersham, you may step down,"

Beth stepped down and marched out of the court room looking neither to the left nor the right. She walked through the double doors where Strobe was waiting for her. She was just about to step up to the femme Autobot when Sunstreaker grabbed her arm,

More people poured out of the court room, among them were Sideswipe and William. The Colonel walked up to Beth,

"Well done, Amersham. It got quite tricky for a while but you did well,"

"Thank you sir," Beth replied.

Strobe overheard the conversation but she didn't ask what happened, Beth wasn't allowed to say anything,

"Are you okay?" Sideswipe asked as he hugged the young soldier and kissed her,

"I'm sorry Sideswipe I had..,"

"Ssshhh...you've done nothing wrong." he replied,

"Let's get you some lunch, you look like you could do with something,"

"Thanks," Beth replied and turned around, "Come on, Strobe

* * *

><p>There was the sound of happy laughter and Champagne bottles popping as Beth and Sideswipe walked up the stairs to her apartment. She turned the key in the lock and gingerly opened the door and stepped in, everything was exactly as she had left it apart from the obvious signs that an investigation had taken place. The heating hadn't been turned on and her flat felt icy cold and not as welcoming as it used to. Beth knew then that she was making a good decision. Sideswipe looked around,<p>

"Where shall we start?"

Beth looked around, "I guess here and we gradually move in, anything that is broken we'll trash and anything I don't want I'll take to the charity bins. There is some stuff that is really precious for me and I want to keep that,"

They hadn't been there long when there was the sound of voices coming up the stairs, Mark and Jenna walked into Beth's apartment,

"Wow," Mark said, "They really did you over,"

By now the task was beginning to get to Beth, she had had some good times in the apartment and she was grateful for the extra help so she could get out of there as quickly as possible,

"Where shall we help you?" Mark asked,

"Out here please," Beth replied quietly, "I'll do my bedroom,"

Beth wondered into her bedroom, there was an eerie feel about the room, it was like time has stood still. Nothing had been moved or touched since she packed up what she wanted to take to the base. She opened cupboards and drawers and pulled the rest of her belongings out and separated them into piles.

In the meantime Robert and William sat in the front of Optimus Prime, they were quite relaxed and satisfied with the Christmas tree they had brought. They passed snow laden trees as Prime's tyres sloshed through the slush on the side of the road. It was so warm inside the two men had taken off their heavy coats and trappers,

"Have you heard anything about the case?"

"Nah," William replied, "Simon gave his evidence this afternoon and I believe he got quite a grilling, apparently he tripped himself up a few times too." Robert smiled, "It's the closing arguments tomorrow and then we have to wait for the jury to make their decision."

"Do you think he will get off?"

William shrugged his shoulders, "Who knows, I hope he doesn't because any trust we've built up with the Autobots would be broken," William replied,

"Yeah, Strobe and Beth have come a long way,"

They drove through the barriers and saluted back at the guards before entering through the blast doors. Optimus Prime activated his holoform and helped them carry the tree out of his trailer. Other Autobots gathered around them, among them was Strobe. She looked at it puzzled,

"Why are you bringing in a tree?" she asked,

"To decorate it," William replied,

"It's a human tradition," OPtimus said,

"Yeah, you'll enjoy it," Bumblebee said, "They give presents to each other and eat rich food but the best bit is we get presents too,"

Strobe tried to think what a human could give an Autobot, "Sounds like fun," she replied.

OPtimus Prime's holoform disappeared and his true form burst into movement as his body split and he grew in height. He stooped to pick up the tree and walked with the humans to the rec room where there was a bucket waiting for it.

Prowl was in the rec room when Prime walked in with the tree, he looked perplexed by the custom and could feel his processor trying to work out the strange custom. Strobe saw the look of confusion on Prowl's face and burst into laughter,

"It's a Christmas tree," she said, "Apparently the humans decorate it and give gifts to each other and we get gifts too,"

"Oh wow," Moonracer said as she came and stood beside her mate.

Beth shut the door to her apartment one last time and took the last of the rubbish to the rubbish bins. Mark and Jenna went on and took the bags to the charity bins while beth and Sideswipe went to the real estate agent. Beth spoke to the agent and started the process of selling her flat and then with the last of her treasured possessions went back to the base with Sideswipe.

The sound of Sideswipe's powerful engine echoed through the base and then the sound of Beth's happy chatter. Sideswipe transformed, picked Beth up and placed her on his shoulder and took her into the rec room where he planted her near the humans,

"A Christmas tree!" she exclaimed,

Sunstreaker followed him in and stopped dead in his tracks,

"What the...?"

"Are you coming to decorate it with us?" Robert asked.

Beth jumped up and down and clapped her hands, "Yes I am," she replied as a chuckle among humans and Autobots arose around her. All the sadness from earlier on disappeared as Beth picked up baubles and hung them on the tree,

"I know," Jenna said, "Let's have some music, I just brought a new Christmas cd."

She went back to her room and collected her cd and brought it back to the rec room. The humans sung to the music while the Autobots looked on. The tree was about 10 feet tall and the humans were finding it difficult to reach the top. Some of the Autobots volunteered their services including Sideswipe who lifted Beth onto his shoulder so she could also reach,

"Sunstreaker," she called back, "Come and join us,"

The yellow frontline warrior looked at the Christmas tree; the pine needles looked sharp and could probably damage his fine yellow paint,

"No way," he groused, "My paint will be scratched,"

A groan emanated from the Autobots, Beth shrugged her shoulders, "Your loss," she replied and turned around to continue decorating the tree,

"Now, what about the star, "Robert asked.

Beth looked around, she'd noticed how Strobe was standing back watching the custom with her arms folded across her chest and smiling, "I think Strobe should," she said as she handed the star to the femme.

Strobe looked at the golden, glittery pointed decoration suspiciously, "Go on Strobe," Bumblebee encouraged.

Strobe reluctantly stepped forward and took the star from Beth, she scrutinised it carefully and looked at Beth,

"What do I do with it?"

"It sits on top of the tree," Beth replied as she pointed to the top.

Strobe looked at the tope rising above the rest of the beautifully adorned tree, "Alright," she said and placed the star on top. A cheer rose from the Autobots and humans,

Let's switch on the lights," Jenna said.

She flicked the switch and the lights burst into a golden twinkling, "It's beautiful," Moonracer admired,

"I love this custom," Bluestreak said,

"Beautiful, just beautiful," Hound said.

* * *

><p><em>The next day.<em>

The wait for the jury to complete their deliberations was long and tensions were beginning to run high. Beth and Sidewipe sat in the med bay and put together the finishing touches to Strobe's gift while Ratchet pottered around silently. Every now and then he'd look at how they were going and offer helpful tips but most of the time he would just leave them to it. He had to admit he was impressed with the level of care Beth was putting into the gift because the femme really didn't deserve it.

Beth placed the finishing touches on the data pad and then wrote out a message for the femme Autobot, she handed the piece of paper to Ratchet and Sideswipe both of whom translated it as best as they could,

"Now we wrap it up," she said,

"Wrap it up?" sideswipe asked, "What for?"

"Because it is a gift," she replied, "It's what we do,"

"Okay then, we'll wrap it up," Sideswipe replied.

William Lennox walked into the med bay, "The jury is out," he said.

Beth looked at the clock, "That took three hours,"

Once everybody was in the court and the judge had arrived he looked over at the jury, "Have you made your decision?"

One man stood up, "We have sir,"

"What is it?"

A tension hung in the atmosphere as humans and Autobots alike waited for the response,

"We the jury find the defendant...guilty of torture and imprisonment,"

A roar rang out in the court room; Simon growled while Matt shut his eyes and enjoyed the relief of the case being over. After Simon received his sentence and he was hand cuffed he looked at Matt,

"I'm going to appeal," he snarled,

"Well you can find yourself another lawyer," Matt replied.

He watched as the slender black haired woman he now knew as Strobe shook hands with her lawyer and then turn around and hug her husband. He wasn't even sure if they had husbands and wives but they certainly appeared to be romantically linked,

"It's all over," Prime said as he stroked her back while she cried on his shoulder and clutched tightly to the sleeve of his jacket, "You can put this all behind you now."

Matt packed his bag and walked up to prosecution, "Congratulations," he said,

"You're a good lawyer, sorry you lost your case,"

Tears pooled in Matt's eyes as he shook his head, "I'm not," he replied, "The man was a monster and deserved to lose. Many lives could have been saved if he hadn't interfered including my sister," he croaked.

Optimus Prime overheard the conversation, he let Strobe go and with a deep sincerity and compassion for the man he spoke to him, "I'm sorry about your loss," he said,

Matt tried to swallow a lump at the back of his throat, "Thank you" He replied, "I just wish your friend was free and you had received whatever it was she needed to hand to you and then maybe my sister and her husband would still be alive."

Strobe stood beside Optimus and watched as he slowly left in as dignified a manner as possible,

"A bittersweet victory," she said quietly,

"Yes," Prime agreed, "A bittersweet victory...but a victory nonetheless."

Beth sat in her quarters and enjoyed the peace and quiet for a while before she turned on her cd player and allowed Christmas music to flow through the room. She turned on the Christmas lights and changed out of her uniform to take a long warm shower. There was a tap at her door and when she went to open it her brother was standing there,

"Are you off?" she asked,

"Yes, Prowl is taking me to the coach station where I will meet my dear wife." He said with a smile, "I've longed for this day forever and now its here,"

Beth hugged her brother, "Keep in touch and be careful who you work with,"

"Oh I'm choosing a safe job," he replied, "There is already one lined up for me,"

"That's excellent Aiden," Beth replied, "See you at Christmas,"

"Absolutely," Aiden said, "You and Sideswipe,"

She chuckled, "Okay," she replied, "I'll see what I can do."

* * *

><p>Christmas day came at last and just like everybody else Beth and Sideswipe walked through the corridor with her gift for Strobe which she placed under the tree along with everybody else's and then she waited for whoever was playing Santa to come along. The newcomers watched suspiciously as the strange man in a red suit and white beard arrived in the rec room. Moonracer looked at it suspiciously and then leaned into Prowl,<p>

"Is it human?" she asked,

Prowl shrugged his shoulders, "I don't know," he replied, "But the humans aren't too concerned about it so I suppose he's okay,"

Sunstreaker sat next to Beth protectively and narrowed his optics, he wondered why his brother wasn't doing enough to protect Beth from this stranger with an artificial laugh. Beth saw him and patted his leg,

"It's okay, SUnstreaker," she whispered.

Sideswipe heard the interaction, "Calm down bro, it's all part of the human festivities."

The presents were brought out of the tree one by one, the next person to be called was Strobe, she looked at Prime alarmed,

"What do I do?" she whispered,

"Go and get it," Optimus chuckled.

Strobe got up and took the present from Santa Clause's hand. She looked at the happy coloured Christmas paper with the bright green ribbon around it. Beth placed her hands up to her mouth as she watched Strobe scrutinize it suspiciously,

"Open it!" Bumblebee yelled,

"Yeah, we want to see what it is," Bluestreak bellowed

Strobe looked at the sea of expectant faces watching her and saw Beth who was now biting her bottom lip while jiggling on the floor with excitement,

"How do I open it?" she asked,

"Go and help her Beth," Jenna said, "This was your idea,"

Strobe looked at Beth suspiciously as she approached her, "It's easy," Beth said, "Take off the ribbon and then rip the paper,"

Strobe looked at her questioningly, " Rip the paper? But it's so nice,"

Prime smiled fondly at a memory of Chromia going through the same thing with Ironhide and for a brief minute he allowed his emotions to overwhelm him.,

"Sure," Beth replied,

"Okay," she said and did exactly as Beth had told her.

She looked at the gift and turned it over, "It's...a data pad," she said with puzzlement and a hint of disappointment,

"Switch it on," Beth said as she tried to swallow a lump.

Strobe did exactly that and gasped, there staring back at her was a picture of her brother in robot mode. She swiped the screen with a servo nad more pictures appeared of Ironhide,

"I don't know what to say," she said quietly,

"These...these are all pictures of...,"

A bright blue energon tear rolled down her face as a silence fell among the humans and Autobots,

"I know," Beth replied,

Strobe looked at Beth, "Did you do this?"

"I had a little bit of help," she replied.

Optimus Prime, Sideswipe and Ratchet came and stood beside the Autobot femme and human female. The last picture was the one she saw of Ironhide in William's office holding Annabele and smiling,

"It's...it's beautiful," she whispered, "Thank you...Beth. I treated you terribly, I don't deserve this." Beth smiled, "I'm so sorry for what I did to you,"

"It's okay Strobe. I forgave you ages ago." Beth replied seriously

A warm smile crossed Ratchet's face,

Strobe's face lit up and her optics shone brightly, "Now I have something I can treasure. Memories of my brother, a wonderful spark mate..." she looked at Beth, "...and a friendship I shall always treasure."

* * *

><p>The end!<p> 


End file.
